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NPR Ed
Back To School For Real? Texas Officials Say Yes
Laurel Wamsley
June 18, 2020
Will students actually go back to school this fall? In Texas, state officials say yes.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath confirmed Thursday that the
state's public schools will open for students to return, if they wish.
"It will be safe for Texas public school students, teachers, and staff
to return to school campuses for in-person instruction this fall," the
commissioner said in a statement. "But there will also be flexibility
for families with health concerns so that their children can be
educated remotely, if the parent so chooses."
He did not offer any information on whether students would be required
to wear masks and whether there would be social distancing precautions.
"Detailed guidance on what this will look like will be issued by [Texas Education Agency] early next week," Morath said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said that in-person schooling is a priority for him.
"I will tell you that my goal is to see students back in classrooms in
seats, interacting personally with teachers as well as other students,"
Abbott told reporters earlier this week. "This is a very important
environmental setting for both the students, for the teachers and for
the parents. And so we believe that students in schools is the best
outcome."
If students do return to school in person, there are indications that it may be a bumpy ride.
Many players on the University of Texas football team convened last
week in Austin for voluntary workouts, member station KUT reports.
Today, the university announced that 13 players have tested positive or
are presumed positive for COVID-19. The players are now self-isolating.
Not everyone thinks it's wise for the halls to fill with students and
staff so soon, as the number of new coronavirus cases in Texas
continues to grow.
Zeph Capo is the president of the teachers' union Texas AFT.
"It sounds like they're under the misguided conception that August is
going to be back to normal as usual," he told KUT. "And frankly I just
don't believe that we're in normal times."
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