Gov. Greg Abbott's plans to reopen the state after the COVID-19 pandemic brought it to a screeching halt more than a month ago includes shuttering schools statewide through the academic year.
According to the governor, doctors and health experts warned that it is not safe for students to return to their campuses.
“The team of doctors advising us have determined it would be unsafe to allow students to gather at schools for the foreseeable future,” Abbott said.
The governor added that remote or video instruction, however, will continue.
The Texas Tribune reported that the Texas State Teachers Association praised the decision for alleviating the “uncertainty for hundreds of Texas communities.” According to the TSTA, teachers will continue remote instruction “as they have been doing for several weeks.”
TSTA President Noel Candelaria called on state leaders to continue providing school districts with financial support, as well as paying support staff.
The Texas Education Agency also supports the move, vowing to “work closely with districts across the state to ensure students are getting what they need.”
Abbott previously ordered in-person classes suspended until at least May 4. Many school districts were on Spring Break when they decided to close in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
In the Greater Houston area, the Fort Bend Independent School District was among the first in the state to shut down for the rest of the year and move forward with virtual learning.
FBISD Superintendent Charles Dupre told students, parents and teachers that “it will be even more disruptive” for the district to ask them to come back to school.
To aid in the state’s reopening, Abbott assembled a statewide “strike force” chaired by former University of Texas regent James Huffines.
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