Texas teachers group calls on Gov. Abbott to allow school mask mandates - The Dallas Morning News

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A major Texas teachers group is calling on state Gov. Greg Abbott to reverse course and allow public schools to require masks in the classroom as the start of the new school year approaches.

An order Abbott issued in mid-May currently bars Texas schools and nearly every other government entity in the state from requiring face coverings. The governor said in an interview last week that “kids will not be forced by government … to wear a mask in school.”

But the Texas State Teachers Association, the state’s National Education Association affiliate with more than 3 million members, is hoping Abbott will change his mind as COVID-19 cases are on the rise throughout the state and students under 12 remain ineligible for a vaccine.

“If Gov. Abbott really cares about the health and safety of Texas students, educators and their communities, he will give local school officials and health experts the option of requiring masks in their schools,” TSTA president Ovidia Molina said in a statement Tuesday.

The last month has brought an influx of new hospitalizations to North Texas. Dallas County had 350 hospitalized coronavirus patients on Monday, according to data from the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council. The number represents almost a four-fold increase from a month ago.

TSTA’s plea comes the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to recommend universal masking for teachers, staff and students, whether or not they are vaccinated, according to The Washington Post.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recently called for all students and staff older than 2 to wear face masks at school because of the large number ineligible for vaccines and the concern of new coronavirus variants’ ability to easily spread among children, adolescents and adults.

Confusion over the disparity between public health recommendations and government mandates is likely to grow as the first day of school approaches for many North Texas students.

Five Dallas campuses kick off the fall semester on Aug. 2, with most district schools restarting classes two weeks later. The district is encouraging, but not requiring, students and staff to wear masks in schools and district facilities.

“If the governor’s orders change, then we will revisit this policy,” DISD spokeswoman Nina Lakhiani said.

Abbott’s order leaves districts without the ability to enforce mask mandates, but some schools are encouraging the use of face coverings, regardless of vaccination status.

Two Central Texas school systems have started exploring how they can offer virtual classes for families concerned about in-person instruction, even though the state does not have a way to pay for that method of learning.

Staff writer Lauren Girgis contributed to this report.

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The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

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