The Texas State Teachers Association is pushing back against Gov. Greg Abbott's all-clear to bring kids back to campus on June 1. The organization, which represents nearly 70,000 Texas educators, warned that the timetable puts both students and faculty at risk.
“With the COVID‐19 pandemic continuing to rage across Texas, the health and safety of students, educators and our communities need to remain our first priority,” TSTA President Noel Candelaria said in a statement. “The pandemic has struck in the vast majority of Texas’ 254 counties, and more than 1,200 new cases were reported yesterday. Fourteen people died of COVID‐19 in Dallas County alone, a daily high for Dallas.”
TSTA asked that the state adopt safety recommendations the teacher's group modeled after the original recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control. The current federal recommendations have been politically watered down by the White House, Candelaria added.
The organization says more protective gear is needed for staff before Texas schools can reopen. It also called for enforced social distancing and more stringent sanitation policies.
"Half‐hearted enforcement will endanger students and educators, and our members will not stand for it on their campuses,” Candelaria said.
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Texas Teacher's Group Hits Back at Gov. Abbott's Claim That Schools Can Reopen June 1
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