AUSTIN, Texas — When Austin ISD families were walking the halls of Bailey Middle School, it wasn’t the school tour they expected. Their children weren’t scheduled to attend Bailey until approximately two weeks before the start of the school year, when Austin ISD decided to shut down Paredes Middle School.
“I’m scared of overcrowding and the teachers getting overwhelmed. What’s going to happen as the year goes on?” Christina Lopez said.
It was one of the many questions that echoed through the Bailey Middle School cafeteria days before the new school year. Parents asked about drop-off times, bell schedules, classes offered and a free lunch program at a school that isn’t automatically qualified for one…