Texas Students To Head Back To Class This Fall, No Face Masks Required

School districts will not be required to make students wear face masks or test them for Covid-19, a spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency told The Texas Tribune, but the agency will release further guidance next week. 

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath claimed it will be safe for students to return to class then, but that the state will allow flexibility for families who wish to keep their children at home because of health concerns.

Meanwhile, Texas marked the seventh straight day of new records for the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals, which hit 2,947 on Thursday.

Upwards of 2,600 new Covid-19 cases were reported statewide on Tuesday, followed by more than 3,000 on Wednesday, both record highs.

Abbott has been open about his intentions for students to be back in-person for class by the start of the 2020-21 school year.

Demoratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who said she was on Thursday’s call in which Abbott announced the plan for reopening schools, expressed dismay at the decision and told her Facebook followers, “it is completely premature to make this determination now. We can’t put all kids back in classrooms without a handle on the spread of this virus.”