Back to Work
We returned today for the beginning of teacher orientation. So far, it has gone about as well as can be expected. Judging by the masks, about twenty-five percent are continuing with the mask policies of the past year. As everyone is undoubtedly aware, the governor signed an executive order forbidding districts from having a mask mandate.
Additionally, the legislature did not provide funding for online educations, so most school districts are not offering it. Even those offering it are permitted to add more restrictions this time around. The district where I live enrolls students in their own program, so they are no longer a student at the brick and mortar school.
The district where I work is not allowing it. So, essentially they are not enforcing mask wearing, they will not force students or faculty to get the vaccine, and you cannot learn from home. Additionally, the TEA says that schools do not have to alert parents if someone in the school tests positive, and they do not have to do any contact tracing.
Additionally, students that have been in close proximity to students or faculty that test positive do not have to remain home. Of course, some districts will continue to do what they did last year. Essentially, those districts have made no bones about going against the governor’s ruling and the guidance from the TEA.
I say all that to say this: take a few minutes to check out your local district’s policies as far as your children are concerned. That is especially true for those that have children under twelve. Also, while the governor said that we cannot mandate people to wear masks, we can certainly encourage it and I’d strongly encourage children under twelve to wear masks until such time as all children can safely be vaccinated.
Beyond that, we just have to hope for the best. We also have to remember these times when we vote in 2022. We have to remember that most of our legislators and statewide officials seem more concerned with who goes into what bathroom, who gets to play sports, and whether Cletus can shoot off his big toe. They honestly don’t care whether we live or die.
The stance abbutt is taking defies logic. He is knowingly taking steps to send unvaccinated kids into super spreader situations every school day. I don’t know how many teachers are also unvaccinated, but the odds are that they, too, will get covid. Then unvaccinated family members and on and on. What can he possibly think his state will be like come the fall and winter. For your sake Nick, I hope someone files a lawsuit ASAP to stop his purposely sending citizens into harms way.
1Was just watching msnbc and they were updating the lack of ICU beds available in places like Austin with only 6 left. This will get much worse very quickly.
In Florida where we all know desantass is taking the same stance, so far no school district has taken action like Dallas school district has.
What the f..k are these 2 monsters trying to prove? It’s criminal.
I hope that when HISD trustees meet this week, they will decide to require masks. A district with 200K+ pupils could give other districts the courage to defy the Governor and save lives. And nw, LBJ hospital here (the public hospital) is putting up tents outside the building for overflow. All the TMC hospitals are full. The anti-vaxxers/maskers must have decided they will go ahead and die at home.
2Until TX Ds get power by getting elected, other tactics are required to try to place public health before GQP partisan social pet peeves (guns! immigration! socialism! abortion! Libs! et. al.).
Here is what Stephanie Elizalde, the superintendent of the Austin Independent School District did.
“But because of the rules in Texas, Elizalde can’t mandate masks in buildings. Instead, she has chosen to defy the spirit of the governor’s order on mandates, while not violating the letter of it.
Last week, her legal team came up with one novel approach: School buses are public transportation so they’re governed by an existing federal transportation mask mandate. Elizalde reinforced that and said anyone on the bus will have to wear a mask, in the hope it will set a tone.
“If kids take them off when they leave the bus, teachers aren’t going to make them put them back on,” said one Austin ISD official. “But, you know, we’re hoping once it’s on, it’s on.”
https://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_929c10ec79f5e00706839d7cd7c50030
3I copied this from an article by Steve Benan in the MSNBC website. It’s concerning a lawsuit filed by a cruise line challenging Florida Governor desantis executive order banning them from insisting on vaccines:
“Yesterday, as NBC News reported, a federal judge issued an order allowing the company to require passengers to prove they’ve been vaccinated, ruling that the cruise line would be “irreparably injured” by DeSantis’ policy.”
Seems like citizens should be able to also file lawsuits about both Florida and Texas governors executive orders banning mask mandates and vaccine requirements/proof. They WILL cause irreparable injuries.
4Make that Steve Benen, the author of the article I referred to above.
5My niece, an elementary school music teacher in north Texas, went back to school last week. Actual classes haven’t started yet, they’re doing workshops. The other music teacher in her school, unvaccinated, was just diagnosed with Covid and will be at home for 2-3 weeks at least. How many of his colleague did he expose while he was there? This is just idiotic, and yet another reason all teachers and all students>12 years old should be required to be vaccinated.
6I just saw an article that parents are suing DeSantis over his school mask ban. We need to do that here in Texas too How to get this started?
7Someone that’s responsible for probably 2 of the worst tragic episodes in the history of Texas is now groveling for others to bail him out:
Texas Gov. Abbott begs for out-of-state medical staff — and asks hospitals to postpone elective surgeries – Raw Story –
https://www.rawstory.com/greg-abbott-2654606305/
Like there are medical staff surpluses elsewhere. Not sure there’ll be any silver lining, but maybe getting he and his regime out of office could be. Should be.
8I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how the governors of your state and mine [Florida] think they can win the next election if they’ve killed off their constituents and/or their children.
Loving Trump can’t make up for that — it just can’t. Or am I missing something here?
9Honestly, my biggest fear is that someone like the Lincoln man will throw his hat into the ring as an independent. He will somehow get 20 to 25 percent of the vote, but not enough to win a majority. Then, Abbott skates back in with less than 40 percent of the vote. We saw this before with Kinky Friedman. 60 percent of the state voted clearly for “not Rick Perry” and he somehow still won.
10twocrows, crazy as it sounds I think they believe they’re completely capable of getting their base to blame democrats. Abbott is trying to ban local governments from
11from enforcing any protective mandates, while simultaneously asking hospitals to refrain from unnecessary treatments because he knows it’s getting really bad. He and Desantis are both pounding immigration for bringing in more covid, even though from what I can tell, immigrants’ infection rates are no higher than anyone else’s.
The echo chamber is trying to blame Fauci for releasing the virus in China in the first place.
And tucker carlson just did his show from Hungary for a week to show “real” Americans what a strong leader looks like. And apparently over there folks who disagree with their strong leader get labelled as enemies by their own government and they’re lucky if they wind up in jail.
So being able to blame Democrats for children getting sick, and for USING children to spread Covid to the unvaccinated
(which coincidentally is made up by the base)?
That would definitely fall into the category of making Democrats the enemies of “real” Americans.
I know it sounds like something a Batman villain would come up with.
And I hope I’m wrong.
But I don’t think I am.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/08/11/gov-greg-abbott-texas-502135
12I’m 80, fully vaccinated with Moderna, wear a mask everywhere, and just tested positive for Covid. Mild nausea and minor sinus headache. I other times I’d just go to bed.
13These ain’t them times. Anyone can carry without symptoms.
Gonna be a lot of very sick kids very soon.
I hope one of their parents Second Amedments some crippled monster in the government.
Ormond, hoping the best for you. I’m vaccinated (Moderna), mask up and careful (@70), too. I’m worried about my grandkids who start school soon and that we watch during the week. I’m concerned for my wife, myself and the rest of the family.
14On masks, I have a little story I found humorous (if that’s possible). Yesterday, my masked up daughter-in-law was getting Starbucks for her office (she’s a dental office manager) and a man and women stood very close to her in line, unmasked. He got closer and closer and then got in her face to say you can lose the mask don’t you know? She replied, don’t you know trumpf lost the election so get away. Not sure there was applause in the store but another guy in line came forward and paid for her coffee. The unmasked maggot moved back.
Glad Oregon has a mask mandate starting tomorrow, Friday the 13th.