The Texas State Teachers Association has made it clear: schools should have the right to decide whether masks should be required.
"All these people, who do not know what happens every day in our classroom, are making rules and the people who know what happens in our schools are saying this what we need," TSTA President Ovidia Molina said.
It's been a tug-of-war between school districts when it comes to wearing a face mask.
"One of the biggest fears for our educators is that we get someone sick," Molina said.
“Masks have repeatedly been shown to reduce the spread of the virus, and increasing the number of people wearing masks will make our schools a safer place in the midst of this pandemic," said Dr. Susan Kincannon, Waco ISD superintendent in late August.
Gov. Greg Abbott placed executive order now allowing schools to mandate masks.
Waco ISD said 24 people tested positive for COVID-19 during the first three days of school. In late August, the school district made it mandatory to wear a face covering.
On Sept. 7, Attorney General Ken Paxton used Facebook to make a threat.
"Rescind now or see you in court!" Paxton said.
On Sept. 10 the Texas Attorney General announced he was filing suit against six Texas schools.
“Not only are superintendents across Texas openly violating state law, but they are using district resources—that ought to be used for teacher merit raises or other educational benefits—to defend their unlawful political maneuvering,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said. “If districts choose to spend their money on legal fees, they must do so knowing that my office is ready and willing to litigate these cases. I have full confidence that the courts will side with the law – not acts of political defiance.”
- Richardson
- Round Rock
- Galveston
- Elgin
- Spring
- Sherman
Almost 90 school districts currently have mask mandates,according to a list compiled by Paxton's office.The attorney general anticipates more lawsuits if school districts "continue to defy state law," his office said in a statement. On social media, Paxton said more lawsuits were to come.
"We just want to keep everybody as safe as possible we don’t want to have an illness that can be prevented," said Molina.
Since the start of school, there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases compared to last school year.
