Local Leaders Move to Protect our Children
While pediatric cases surge as children under 12 remain ineligible for vaccination, some schools are bucking governor’s orders against setting mask mandates — and they’re starting to get some support from judges and the White House. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration is “continuing to look for ways” for “the U.S. government to support districts and schools as they try to follow the science.”
In Texas, school districts are defying Gov. Greg Abbott’s prohibition against mask mandates, but the courts appear to be on the side of local officials. Judges in Dallas and San Antonio issued temporary orders blocking the state’s mandate against mask mandates. The CDC recommends that all students wear masks at school.
Wearing masks has been cited by health experts as one of the most effective health measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In late June, a report by two Duke University scientists who reviewed data from March through June 2021 in 100 school districts and 14 charter schools in North Carolina found that wearing masks effectively prevented the transmission of the virus in schools and on buses even without physical distancing.
Nonetheless, mask requirement proposals have stirred ugly fights in some school districts, just as they have spawned altercations in stores and restaurants. Many Republican leaders have opposed mask mandates because they reject the science that shows it can slow the spread of the coronavirus. Instead, they say, it should be left up to individuals to decide whether to protect themselves.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has so far refused to reverse a ban on local mask mandates, even as his state’s healthcare system is overwhelmed by the Delta variant to the point where Abbott asked hospitals to postpone elective procedures. A pair of decisions last Tuesday, however, allowed local officials in San Antonio and Dallas to at least temporarily make moves to try and stymie the spread of the virus.
In San Antonio, local officials issued a mandate requiring masks in public schools and city facilities shortly after Bexar County District Court Judge Toni Arteaga granted a temporary injunction to Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates. Abbott’s executive order was issued in May, after the third and so far, deadliest wave of the coronavirus subsided.
Since then, however, the virus has ripped its way through the South. More than 9,000 people are currently hospitalized in Texas, where under half of all residents are fully vaccinated, and case numbers haven’t been this high since February. Bexar County has been hit particularly hard, with a daily caseload that’s nearly double the national average.
Arteaga said during a Tuesday hearing that an affidavit from Bexar County medical director Dr. Junda Woo “weighed heavily in my decision, as well as the fact that the school year for many of our children, including those under 12, has begun.”
“I don’t do this lightly,” Arteaga said. Judge Arteagawas elected in 2008 and is the first woman elected to the historic 57th District Court of Bexar County which was created in 1899.
Judge Arteaga is a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas with a B.A. in Government and Sociology. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
“The pandemic has shown us the importance of in-person learning, but with the highly contagious delta variant now widespread in San Antonio, schools need every tool at their disposal to stay open safely,” Woo said in a statement. “Those tools include universal masking.”
Our temporary restraining order against the Governor was granted, paving the way for decisions guided by public health professionals. As such, our local health authority has issued a directive requiring masks inside all public K-12 schools in Bexar County.
Hospitals and medical professionals in the San Antonio area report alarming pressure on hospitals and intensive care units. More than 4,500 people ages 19 or younger have been infected in June and July in the metro area, 1,798 of them children under 9, according to Metro Health.
“We’re very grateful and now we can get back to managing what is a very dangerous surge of this delta variant in schools and other places,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said after the hearing.
Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff criticized the governor’s July 29 order for forcing schools to begin their fall semester with full classrooms and masks optional for students and employees.
More than 200 children in Texas are currently hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to federal government data. Dallas County officials said over
the weekend that children’s hospitals are nearly at capacity, and last week a baby in Houston had to be airlifted to a hospital more than 170 miles away because there were no ICU beds available in the country’s fifth-largest metropolitan area.
The metro area has 17 large school districts, Nirenberg said. A handful of them started classes last Monday, including San Antonio Independent School District, the area’s third largest. Most others will begin by Aug. 23.
Asked about the lawsuit before Tuesday’s hearing, Barry Perez, the executive director of communications for Northside ISD, the largest in the area, said in a prepared statement that the district “continues to adhere” to Abbott’s order “and has no current plan to mandate the use of facemasks.” “We continue to strongly encourage the use of face coverings by all staff, students, and visitors at all district facilities and events,” Perez added. After the ruling, he said the district was considering “all options.” Northside starts its school year Aug. 23.
SAISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez said in a prepared statement that his district supports local leaders in their effort to “protect the community.” The San Antonio Independent School District will require all staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Martinez, said in a letter to staff Monday. It is believed to be the first large Texas school district to implement a vaccine requirement for its employees. The move comes as Gov. Greg Abbott and state officials continue fighting legal battles over the options local governments have to mitigate the pandemic. About 90% of San Antonio ISD employees are vaccinated, Martinez said in his letter to staff. Employees who have not yet received vaccine shots are required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.
San Antonio and Bexar County won another court hearing yesterday so mask up. Do it for your loved ones!
