<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/AP19262763503441.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/AP19262763503441.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/AP19262763503441.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > A student leaves Hamilton Middle School in Houston amid flooding from Tropical Depression Imelda on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

At a Glance Hundreds questioned why Houston ISD didn't cancel classes.

The city received record rainfall on Thursday.

Cars stalled and parents walked through flooded streets to get their children. Hundreds of parents and teachers slammed the Houston Independent School District for not canceling classes in the wake of Tropical Depression Imelda's widespread flooding on Thursday.

The Houston ISD released the following statement on twitter late Thursday:

"#HISD is following protocols for determining closures or delays tomorrow. Our process includes calls with @NWSHouston, @ReadyHarris & other school districts. Today, we followed advice to shelter in place and maintain normal dismissal times. Safety is our top priority."

Houston ISD announced that schools will be closed on Friday.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed schools with waterlogged parking lots and standing water in outside areas on Thursday. In one, students were seen walking on benches to avoid water running through an area outside of classrooms, the Houston Chronicle reported. Another showed a leaky ceiling.

Officials with the school district told weather.com Thursday afternoon that they were not taking questions from the media, and instead referred to posts on their social media accounts stating that the weather was being monitored throughout the day. More than 1,500 parents, teachers and students commented on those posts, many of them questioning why school was even held at all.

(MORE: First Fatality Confirmed in Devastating Texas Floods)

Afternoon dismissal was snarled as cars navigated flooded streets and parents and students walked through the water. Officials - including the mayor of Houston and the city's office of emergency management - had warned people throughout the day to stay off the roads.

One elementary teacher told weather.com that many of her students lost everything in Hurricane Harvey two years ago.

"Our students still have PTSD from our experience with Hurricane Harvey and it’s extremely insensitive on top of being unsafe for HISD to not cancel school today," said the teacher, who asked that neither she nor her school be named. "I'm outraged and possibly stranded. Three and a half hours until the end of school and it's only getting worse.

"I have my little ones distracted with coloring and Arthur on the screen. Learning and regular instruction is NOT feasible right now. Almost as if I'm acting as a mother to calm the worries of over 20 children. They are very upset."

The teacher said buses couldn't get to her school and parents were picking up their children, but it was expected to take several hours. By 5:30 p.m., there were still about 75 students at the school and plans were being made to feed them dinner if necessary.

While Houston's rainfall wasn't as extreme as many areas, the city did hit a daily record of 9.18 inches on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Stephany Campos, a 17-year-old senior at Booker T. Washington High, told the Chronicle that water began seeping through doorways into the school's hallways around 11 a.m. Most of the hallways on the first floor were covered with water by 1 p.m, and the cafeteria was also flooded.

"I'm worried because I'm not sure what's going on at home, I'm worried about my mom," Campos said. "She can't pick me up because she can't drive. Most my friends can't get home either."