Texas teachers ask Gov. Abbott to continue remote learning until end of school year

The Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) requested that schools remain closed in the state for the remainder of the 2020 school year and is awaiting a response from Gov. Greg Abbott, who will be making a decision on schools later this week.  

“TSTA did not advocate canceling schools,” Clay Robison, spokesman for TSTA, said. “We are calling for the closure of school buildings to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus, as health experts have recommended.”

TSTA’s request was posted to Facebook, noting that neighboring states New Mexico and Oklahoma have closed schools through the end of the 2019-2020 calendar year, as previously reported by KENS5.

“A comprehensive, statewide school closure order is necessary because the outbreak is expanding across the state and we don’t know which counties it will strike next. Leaving this decision to individual districts creates unnecessary confusion and stress across Texas,” TSTA President Noel Candelaria said on Facebook.

On March 31, 2020, the governor issued an executive order temporarily closing all schools until May 4.

Since then, there have been 14,624 reported COVID-19 cases and 318 deaths, according to the state’s Health and Human Services dashboard.

“The governor has said he will decide this week whether to keep buildings closed for the rest of the semester,” Robison said in an interview. “Our department of education is the Texas Education Agency headed by a commissioner appointed by the governor. He has said nothing publicly about whether buildings should remain closed the rest of the semester.”

Robison further told Education Daily that TSTA is requesting school districts be required to provide remote learning and special learning arrangements for students with special needs or without online access.

“The pandemic has taught us that most educators and students can find ways to deal with adversity,” Robison said in an interview. “Texas teachers are still teaching and Texas students are still learning.  Remote teaching and learning will continue.”

TSTA notes that many local school superintendents want school buildings to remain closed for the rest of the spring semester because health experts have said the pandemic hasn’t peaked in Texas and may not for several more weeks.

“We want to protect the health and safety of our educators, our students and our communities and closing school buildings is necessary to do that,” Robison said.