“In spite of all the planning and expenditures for safety measures that Texas school districts have undergone with the help of the state, there are cases of COVID-19 in many communities, and schools and students may have to shift between remote and on-campus instruction at various times during the school year,” the letter read.
Two days after Attorney General Ken Paxton declared in a letter that the authority to issue blanket orders to close schools on a preventive basis lies solely with school district, TASA leaders said schools should be able to cooperate with their local health officials when planning to reopen without the risk of losing state funding.
The TASA letter stated changing guidelines coming from the state are overly complicated and have only created confusion. As health conditions vary throughout Texas, the TASA asked state leaders not to “micromanage” every community.
“Our local communities, school boards and educators need clear and consistent information from the state, and they also need your trust that they will make the right decisions at the local level to manage schools—without the fear of funding loss, which would greatly harm Texas students, teachers and entire communities,” the letter stated.
