COVID outbreaks closed dozens of schools and districts in the south in August. But after a wave of closures and mask mandates, the crisis may be ebbing in some communities.
If they choose to not get vaccinated, district workers will have to be COVID-19 tested twice a week, and they lose access to a bank of 10 “quarantine leave days.”
Richardson, Round Rock, Galveston, Elgin, Spring and Sherman independent school districts have been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for defying Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates.
On bad air days, schools are instructed to close windows and doors and let the air purifiers work. But during the pandemic, that solution comes with its own problems.
Last month, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education had said districts would not be required to report positive cases in school buildings for the new academic year.
"We only have our students for 180 days out of the school year in most of our schools in the state. And you know, that time matters, every day matters."
In August, more children were admitted to the hospital for Covid-19 in states with lower vaccination rates and Covid-19 hospitalizations among children were lower in states higher vaccination coverage, according to the CDC.
As waves of educators fall ill and new deaths are reported weekly, districts are giving teachers and eligible students cash and other incentives to combat COVID.
