Texas schools are being compelled to reopen classrooms on the state's timetable, like it or not

[RandySF]

After weeks of confusion and conflicting signals, Texas has settled into policies that effectively compel schools to reopen their classrooms this fall no later than eight weeks after the academic year begins, whether they want to or not.

Teachers, parents, school administrators and public health officials have been seeking clarity for weeks on how the state will approach reopening schools safely as coronavirus infections and deaths rise across Texas.

Gov. Greg Abbott has not responded directly to questions from reporters about who has the authority to order schools closed in areas hard hit by the virus, and the Texas Education Agency has sent mixed messages on reopening guidelines.

But despite the lack of any formal announcement from the governor, the die was cast in in a rapid two-step process Tuesday. First, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released nonbinding legal guidance saying local public health officials do not have the power to preemptively require all schools in their jurisdictions to remain closed, even as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in many Texas hot spots.

Then, state education officials reversed an earlier decision by announcing they will not fund school districts that keep classrooms closed for longer than the state allows even if ordered to do so by a local health mandate. Taken together, the actions put school districts in the position of reopening classrooms on the state’s timetable or losing funds and risking potential litigation.


https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/29/texas-schools-reopening-coronavirus/?utm

[enki23]

1. Texas is messing with Texas. I have it on good authority (Texas) that's a bad idea.

[TexasTowelie]

2. I hope that the parents show more wisdom than the governor

and refuse to send their children back to school. There is a compulsory attendance law in Texas, so it will be interesting to see if the governor will prosecute parents if they do not comply. It will certainly create negative publicity for the governor if he enforces the law and Abbott is already tanking in the polls.

[catrose]

5. Texas has lackadaisical homeschooling laws though.

Not an option for everybody--I feel worst for those households where all adults work and they rely on school being in session for child care.

But you can keep your kid at home and say you're homeschooling--no tests or any kind of oversight, because freedumb.

[TexasTowelie]

7. I only know one person that has homeschooled.

He stayed at home during his senior year since his family was moving frequently. Neither of his parents were qualified to be an instructor. I met him when he entered junior college and he was falling behind in his courses. I mentored him on his coursework in trigonometry and some of his papers for English Composition which included an analysis of "The Glass Menagerie." I was a bit surprised to find out that the instructor for that class didn't mention that Tennessee Williams was gay. I'll guess that the instructor deliberately omitted that information because he didn't want to introduce any bias with the students.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Assholes! The ONLY consideration in this case is the health and safety of students and staff...

Would they open the schools if they were overrun with rattlesnake nests?

Would they open the schools if a maniac credibly threatened to shoot students?

Would they open the schools if Legionnaire's disease was found in the drains?

Typhoid in the kitchen?

Education is wasted on dead or dying students.

[magicarpet]

4. Sacrifice the children to become virus fodder on the alters of capitalism.

That ought to go over real well with the parents and grandparents who regularly vote.

Will the Texas state government soon be offering the children and burn them alive as a gifts and blessings to Jesus and the Gods of Fascist AmeriKKKan Evangelical Capitalism ?

[tanyev]

6. Texas AG Ken Paxton issued a special opinion exempting private schools

from complying with the public health orders delaying in person opening, so those schools that decide to open up sooner will be voluntarily sacrificing their own students. I do not understand why.

[lindysalsagal]

8. "Open schools, with very few students."

Think Texans will keep paying school taxes for empty schools?

[OrlandoDem2]

9. DeSantis did the same thing in FL. An Orlando Sentinel reporter tried to find the health dept

authority for closing schools. No one at the state or county level could find that person.

Read this.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/scott-maxwell-commentary/os-op-florida-school-opening-nonsense-covid-scott-maxwell-20200729-xbt6p23invhq7jav2xbk6twhbq-story.html%3foutputType=amp