Teachers at Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District will have to report for training at their school buildings before students begin classes on Sept. 8. | Christina Morillo/Pexels
The Texas Supreme Court on Aug. 16 stayed a trial court’s temporary restraining order that stopped teachers from having to return to Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District campuses for training on Aug. 14, ruling against the wishes of a teacher’s union.
A Harris County District Judge granted the order, which ruled that teachers would not have to physically enter school buildings before Sept. 7 at the request of the Cy-Fair American Federation of Teachers (Cy-Fair AFT), Click 2 Houston reported. The school district plans its first day of in-person and virtual learning on Sept. 8.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the state Supreme Court to overturn the order, filing a friend-of-the-court brief on Monday, the Texas Attorney General’s website reported.
“Friday was supposed to mark the return to campus for Cy-Fair teachers and staff who were preparing to start the new school year and welcome back kids, until a trial court unlawfully ordered the campus shut down at the request of a teachers’ union,” Paxton said, the Texas Attorney General’s website reported. “Teachers’ unions have no authority to override the decisions of schools administrators about how to return to school safely.”
The trial court’s actions had statewide implications, he said.
“All across the state, local school districts are currently working diligently to ensure teacher safety during on-campus orientation and training sessions. If this Court allows the trial court’s order below to stand, any number of trial courts may follow suit and further usurp the type of operational decisions best left to the districts themselves,” Paxton said in his friend-of-the-court-brief.
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