Houston school district to cancel classes after Astros' World Series win

HOUSTON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Houston Independent School District (ISD), Texas' largest school district, will cancel classes Friday so students can celebrate the Astros' World Series win, a senior official announced on Thursday.

Superintendent Richard Carranza announced on Twitter that students and staff members should take the day off to celebrate the city's first World Series title.

"Our hometown heroes are World Series Champions for the first time in franchise history," Carranza said in a statement. "This is a memorable moment for our city and a time to celebrate, especially after all the challenges Houston has faced over the past several months."

Most Houston ISD schools were closed for two weeks after Hurricane Harvey dumped heavy rain across parts of the Houston metropolitan area, and some were closed for a month after their schools were flooded.

The district educates about 215,000 students, and at least 6,500 students were displaced after Hurricane Harvey.

The city will hold a victory parade downtown at 2 pm on Friday.

The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series held on Wednesday night at Los Angeles, winning their first World Series title in franchise history.