SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Students in East Bernard, Texas wear face coverings at school on August 28, 2020. The school board in Paris, Texas voted on Tuesday to include face masks in the district's dress code as a workaround to Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates. (Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Finding Loophole in Abbott's Mask Mandate Ban, Texas School Board Adds Face Coverings to Dress Code
"If your dress code can enforce skirt lengths, it can enforce masks."
Aug 18, 2021
Students and school staff in Paris, Texas will be required to wear face coverings starting Thursday despite Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's attempt to ban mask mandates, following a school board vote in favor of using a loophole to protect public health: the board voted on Tuesday to include mask-wearing in the district's dress code.
Following the 5-1 vote, the Paris Independent School District will amend its dress code to read, "For health reasons, masks are required for all employees and students to mitigate flu, cold, pandemic, and any other communicable diseases."
"The Texas governor does not have the authority to usurp the Board of Trustees' exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district."
--Paris Independent School District
"The Texas governor does not have the authority to usurp the Board of Trustees' exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district," the district said in a statement.
The board reasoned that Abbott's executive order does not include a suspension of the Texas Education Code, which clearly states that boards of trustees in the state's public school districts govern the schools.
"Therefore the Board has elected to amend its dress code consistent with its statutory authority," said the officials.
As right-wing governors including Abbott, Florida's Ron DeSantis, and Arizona's Doug Ducey have attempted to stop school districts from requiring face coverings to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 among children who don't yet have access to vaccines, a number of districts have announced they will defy the orders--with some risking state funding to protect public health and safety.
In Texas, Abbott's order has faced legal challenges from officials in San Antonio and Bexar County and Disability Rights Texas. The advocacy group sued the governor on Wednesday, arguing the mask mandate ban puts children with disabilities at a higher risk for Covid-19 and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The state Supreme Court temporarily upheld the governor's executive order on Sunday.
At the school board meeting in Paris on Tuesday, medical professionals from the community were among those demanding that masks be included in the dress code to allow the district to comply with guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July, which advised universal masking in public schools.
One doctor at Paris Regional Medical Center told the trustees that the current local outbreak of Covid-19 forced the hospital to find additional ventilators, with more than 500 active cases in the community. Only 29% of all residents in Lamar County, where Paris lies, are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Among children ages 12 and up, 35% are vaccinated.
According to the CDC, there were nearly 800 children across Texas who were hospitalized with Covid-19 between July 1 and August 9.
Amid the right-wing attacks on mask mandates in recent weeks as children across the country prepare to return to in-person schooling, some commentators have noted that school districts have for decades mandated what students can and can't wear to school through strict dress codes. The Paris Independent School District bars students from wearing pants with holes or frayed areas, tank tops, and skirts or dresses that fall more than three inches above the knee.
"If your dress code can enforce skirt lengths, it can enforce masks," tweeted social justice advocate and philathropist Minh Ngo in response to the school board's vote.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Students and school staff in Paris, Texas will be required to wear face coverings starting Thursday despite Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's attempt to ban mask mandates, following a school board vote in favor of using a loophole to protect public health: the board voted on Tuesday to include mask-wearing in the district's dress code.
Following the 5-1 vote, the Paris Independent School District will amend its dress code to read, "For health reasons, masks are required for all employees and students to mitigate flu, cold, pandemic, and any other communicable diseases."
"The Texas governor does not have the authority to usurp the Board of Trustees' exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district."
--Paris Independent School District
"The Texas governor does not have the authority to usurp the Board of Trustees' exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district," the district said in a statement.
The board reasoned that Abbott's executive order does not include a suspension of the Texas Education Code, which clearly states that boards of trustees in the state's public school districts govern the schools.
"Therefore the Board has elected to amend its dress code consistent with its statutory authority," said the officials.
As right-wing governors including Abbott, Florida's Ron DeSantis, and Arizona's Doug Ducey have attempted to stop school districts from requiring face coverings to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 among children who don't yet have access to vaccines, a number of districts have announced they will defy the orders--with some risking state funding to protect public health and safety.
In Texas, Abbott's order has faced legal challenges from officials in San Antonio and Bexar County and Disability Rights Texas. The advocacy group sued the governor on Wednesday, arguing the mask mandate ban puts children with disabilities at a higher risk for Covid-19 and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The state Supreme Court temporarily upheld the governor's executive order on Sunday.
At the school board meeting in Paris on Tuesday, medical professionals from the community were among those demanding that masks be included in the dress code to allow the district to comply with guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July, which advised universal masking in public schools.
One doctor at Paris Regional Medical Center told the trustees that the current local outbreak of Covid-19 forced the hospital to find additional ventilators, with more than 500 active cases in the community. Only 29% of all residents in Lamar County, where Paris lies, are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Among children ages 12 and up, 35% are vaccinated.
According to the CDC, there were nearly 800 children across Texas who were hospitalized with Covid-19 between July 1 and August 9.
Amid the right-wing attacks on mask mandates in recent weeks as children across the country prepare to return to in-person schooling, some commentators have noted that school districts have for decades mandated what students can and can't wear to school through strict dress codes. The Paris Independent School District bars students from wearing pants with holes or frayed areas, tank tops, and skirts or dresses that fall more than three inches above the knee.
"If your dress code can enforce skirt lengths, it can enforce masks," tweeted social justice advocate and philathropist Minh Ngo in response to the school board's vote.
Students and school staff in Paris, Texas will be required to wear face coverings starting Thursday despite Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's attempt to ban mask mandates, following a school board vote in favor of using a loophole to protect public health: the board voted on Tuesday to include mask-wearing in the district's dress code.
Following the 5-1 vote, the Paris Independent School District will amend its dress code to read, "For health reasons, masks are required for all employees and students to mitigate flu, cold, pandemic, and any other communicable diseases."
"The Texas governor does not have the authority to usurp the Board of Trustees' exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district."
--Paris Independent School District
"The Texas governor does not have the authority to usurp the Board of Trustees' exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district," the district said in a statement.
The board reasoned that Abbott's executive order does not include a suspension of the Texas Education Code, which clearly states that boards of trustees in the state's public school districts govern the schools.
"Therefore the Board has elected to amend its dress code consistent with its statutory authority," said the officials.
As right-wing governors including Abbott, Florida's Ron DeSantis, and Arizona's Doug Ducey have attempted to stop school districts from requiring face coverings to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 among children who don't yet have access to vaccines, a number of districts have announced they will defy the orders--with some risking state funding to protect public health and safety.
In Texas, Abbott's order has faced legal challenges from officials in San Antonio and Bexar County and Disability Rights Texas. The advocacy group sued the governor on Wednesday, arguing the mask mandate ban puts children with disabilities at a higher risk for Covid-19 and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The state Supreme Court temporarily upheld the governor's executive order on Sunday.
At the school board meeting in Paris on Tuesday, medical professionals from the community were among those demanding that masks be included in the dress code to allow the district to comply with guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July, which advised universal masking in public schools.
One doctor at Paris Regional Medical Center told the trustees that the current local outbreak of Covid-19 forced the hospital to find additional ventilators, with more than 500 active cases in the community. Only 29% of all residents in Lamar County, where Paris lies, are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Among children ages 12 and up, 35% are vaccinated.
According to the CDC, there were nearly 800 children across Texas who were hospitalized with Covid-19 between July 1 and August 9.
Amid the right-wing attacks on mask mandates in recent weeks as children across the country prepare to return to in-person schooling, some commentators have noted that school districts have for decades mandated what students can and can't wear to school through strict dress codes. The Paris Independent School District bars students from wearing pants with holes or frayed areas, tank tops, and skirts or dresses that fall more than three inches above the knee.
"If your dress code can enforce skirt lengths, it can enforce masks," tweeted social justice advocate and philathropist Minh Ngo in response to the school board's vote.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy