Hidalgo ISD Superintendent Xavier Salinas is among the seven superintendents from the Rio Grande Valley involved in a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott over his ban on mask mandates in schools.

Though he did not testify before Travis County District Judge Catherine Mauzy, Salinas shared his court experience from the hearing that wrapped up on Tuesday.

He said the majority of the testimony touched on the authority among local officials such as Hidalgo County Health Authority Dr. Ivan Melendez and the alarming increasing rates of Covid cases among students and school staff. 

Salinas is hoping for the judge to rule in favor of granting an injunction to uphold the temporary restraining order against the ban on mandating masks. But if the court decides to side with the Governor, he says school district leaders are prepared. 

"Here at Hidalgo ISD we are going to concur with the board, work with Dr. Melendez and right now Dr. Melendez has a superseding order saying mask mandates are required in all Hidalgo County [schools], including Hidalgo ISD," Salinas said.

The judge has heard three similar injunction cases this week. One attorney said they expect a decision in all these cases as early as tomorrow.

The latest numbers for Hidalgo County show that 21 children remain hospitalized with Covid and five are in the ICU.