After two teachers die from Covid-19 in one week, Texas school district implements mask warrant

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Connally ISD, in McLennan County, closed all of its campuses on August 31 due to an increase in Covid-19 cases and increased absences for students and staff.

He announced last week that students, staff and visitors should wear masks in all schools and buildings in the district when in-person classes resume Tuesday after the Labor Day vacation.

“As educators, it is our duty to keep our students safe and healthy. We believe that the institution of a mask mandate is a step in that direction,” said the superintendent of the Connally’s ISD, Wesley Holt, in an email to parents and employees.

Holt’s email also included a letter Connally ISD received from the Waco-McLennan County Health District that said the spread of Covid-19 in the county “continues to accelerate at an alarming rate.”

Last week, the county recorded the highest number of new daily cases, daily hospitalizations and daily deaths from Covid-19 than at any time during the pandemic, the letter said.

“We are at a critical point for hospital capacity and must take action to curb the spread of this disease. The most effective way for you to have an immediate impact within your schools is to dramatically increase utilization. face masks, ”the letter reads.

Two humanities teachers at Connally Junior High School died last month after testing positive for Covid-19. Seventh-year teacher David A. McCormick, 59, died on August 24 and Natalia Chansler, 41, died on August 28, according to the district.

As Covid-19 hospitalizations increase, some overwhelmed hospitals are rationing care
Chansler’s sister told CNN she was trying to decide which vaccine she should get when she got sick.

During the shutdown, the district provided counselors to help students cope with the loss of their teachers and facilitated testing for students, district staff and the community.

“Almost 600 people attended the two-day event with an overall positivity rate of 16.3%. Many of those identified as positive for the virus were asymptomatic,” Holt wrote.

The district said it has also thoroughly cleaned and disinfected all of its buildings.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order in May banning mask warrants, but a number of districts have defied or attempted to circumvent the order and are demanding masks.
Local mask warrants have sparked legal battles in state courts.
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In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would sue school districts in court for warrants.

The health district said that at the start of this school year, children aged 17 and under accounted for 24% of Covid-19 cases in the county. This is compared to 8% of all cases at the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

Health officials also said the immunization rate for eligible children aged 12 or older “is extremely low.”

Connally ISD is encouraging eligible staff and students to get vaccinated and has scheduled a free vaccination campaign in the high school gymnasium on September 13.

Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the wrong name for the county where Connally ISD is located. It’s in McLennan County.

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