x

More Texas school districts sue the governor over mask-mandate ban

More Texas school districts sue the governor over mask-mandate ban
3 years 3 months 2 weeks ago Thursday, August 19 2021 Aug 19, 2021 August 19, 2021 9:50 AM August 19, 2021 in News - Local

Five more Valley school districts have landed on the Attorney General's violator list for mask mandates.

School districts in Edcouch Elsa, Hidalgo, La Joya, McAllen, and PSJA all have an asterisk by their names, indicating they are currently not in compliance with the Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order and have been notified by his office.

On Tuesday night, Fort Worth ISD’s school board decided to also sue the governor, joining some Valley school districts like Brownsville, Edinburg and La Joya. They’re all making the case against the governor, arguing local school boards should be making the rules on mask wearing and virtual learning.

RELATED: La Joya ISD temporarily mandates masks for employees, students  

"I applaud Forth Worth ISD for joining the lawsuit against our governor,” said La Joya ISD teacher’s union leader Brenda Lee Salinas.

Last Wednesday, Salinas spoke at the emergency meeting with La Joya ISD school board members, asking they vote in favor of suing the governor.

More school districts and counties such as Bexar and Dallas have also sued Abbott or some have simply mandated mask wearing without considering the governor's executive order banning it.

READ ALSO: Valley student joins federal lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott  

Randy Erben, a professor in state government at UT Austin, says court decisions on lawsuits for counties like Bexar and Dallas have been going back and forth.

Erben says it’s unclear what Attorney General Ken Paxton will do next.

"At the end, those that are hurting is not our governor," Salinas said. "Its our students. It's our teachers."

More News


Radar
7 Days