Finally weighing in on the school reopening confusion, @GovAbbott says local health authorities can't pre-emptively close schools, but can when there's an outbreak on campus.— Aliyya Swaby (@AliyyaSwaby) July 31, 2020
Plus, districts can ask for more than 8 weeks all-remote.https://t.co/7fKLKkT5b4 #txlege #txed
"Local health authorities play an important role in school closure determinations during the course of a school year if it is determined that a contamination has occurred necessitating closure, but local health authorities do not have the power to issue preemptive, blanket closures of schools weeks or months in advance of when a school may open its doors to students," the statement reads. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, state Rep. Dan Huberty, who chairs the House education committee, and state Sen. Larry Taylor, who chairs the Senate education committee, also signed onto the statement.
Weasel words, again. Local health authorities are advising county health officials. And this reasoning continues the argument from the AG's opinion, that we have to wait until people are infected before we do anything about the infection.
When, of course, people are ALREADY infected and hospitals are already above ICU capacity in most major metropolitan areas and the crisis is burning through South Texas like a prairie fire. But we can't do anything for children and teachers because....well, GOP reasoning which doesn't make sense to ordinary people.
Government has become a mutual suicide pact because $$$$ uber alles. Or something. I confess, I simply don't understand anymore.
Yesterday our school system announced our options. A hybrid plan with a couple of days in school and the rest remote, or a completely remote option. With the hybrid half the students Monday/Wednesday, half Tuesday/Thursday and everyone remote on Friday. They are asking everyone picking hybrid to drive their children if possible to reduce pressure on the buses. We have 10 days to decide, and once we choose we are committed for the entire semester. So....
ReplyDeleteOur junior wants to go hybrid, with a hope that she will get to do some of her music and because she misses her friends. She is old enough to have some say in the decision. We are less sure about our middle schooler. Community transmission in upstate NY is low, but the numbers are not improving. How muck risk can we tolerate for in person classes? How can we foresee the progression of the pandemic? If I had to bet, schools will be all remote by Christmas, maybe Thanksgiving. There is no right decision, but we still must decide.
So....
It didn't have to be this way.