Texas teachers group calls on Gov. Abbott to allow school mask mandates. He won’t change his stance

Updated: With new CDC guidelines and comments from Abbott’s office.

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

But the governor said Tuesday that he won’t back down from an order he issued in mid-May that bars Texas schools and nearly every other government entity in the state from requiring face coverings.

The Texas State Teachers Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association with more than 3 million members, raised the alarm as COVID-19 cases are on the rise throughout the state. Also, students under 12 remain ineligible for a vaccine.

Their call also came as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guidelines, saying vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the virus is surging, even among the vaccinated, because of the delta variant’s contagiousness.

The CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status.

“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 governor’s spokeswoman doubled down on Abbott’s previous comments when asked if he would consider changing his executive order in light of the CDC’s updated guidelines. Abbott said in an interview last week that “kids will not be forced by government … to wear a mask in school.”

“Governor Abbott has been clear that the time for government mandating of masks is over ― now is the time for personal responsibility,” said spokeswoman Renae Eze. “Every Texan has the right to choose whether they will wear a mask or have their children wear masks.”

Vaccines are the “most effective defense against contracting COVID and becoming seriously ill,” Eze said, urging eligible Texans to get immunized. The vaccine, she said, will always remain voluntary in Texas.

Health officials have underscored the role of masks in preventing the spread of new coronavirus variants, incorporating such requirements into updated guidance.

“We know that masks work. They work really quite well in layering our protection,” said Katelyn Jetelina, an assistant professor at the UTHealth School of Public Health in Dallas. “But they’re certainly not the only thing we need — that’s why vaccinations are also important.”

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

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.

The past month has brought an increase 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 fourfold increase from a month ago.

Five Dallas ISD 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.

Though Abbott’s order leaves districts without the ability to enforce mask mandates, 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 writers Lauren Girgis and Praveena Somasundaram contributed to this report.

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