The Texas State Teachers Association has written a letter to Governor Greg Abbott urging schools be closed the rest of the school year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The governor announced yesterday that schools would be closed until May 4th. TSTA says in addition to closing schools the rest of the school year, it wants the state to continue to pay all school employees and to fully fund districts, as well as waive all teacher appraisals for this academic year.
"Disease experts expect this pandemic to get worse, maybe much worse, in Texas before we see any relief, and the governor must take these steps now to protect millions of school children and the adults dedicated to serving and caring for them. 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.