In an Aug. 17 letter to Umair Shah, the executive director of Harris County Public Health, 10 area superintendents expressed their disagreement with recently released recommendations from the department.
“As educational leaders providing for the well-being and educational needs of over a half million students, we cannot support your recommendation that would essentially require indefinite closure of schools to in-person instruction while awaiting a widely available COVID-19 medical countermeasure or greater staffing capacity at Harris County Public Health for contact tracing,” the superintendents wrote.
The letter cited guidance from the American Academy for Pediatrics that states long periods of time away from school can result in learning deficits and mental health issues.
Superintendents from Clear Creek, Cy-Fair, Deer Park, Huffman, Humble, Katy, Klein, Pasadena, Spring Branch and Tomball ISDs, which have all been closed for in-person instruction since March, signed the message to Shah. Districts included have developed health and safety plans based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Education Agency, according to the letter.
