Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Texas Education Agency Issues Guidelines for Reopening Schools

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 07/08/20

The Texas Education Agency released guidelines for reopening schools in the state on Tuesday. The guidelines addresses on-campus and virtual instruction, screening processes, responding to confirmed COVID-19 cases, health and hygiene practices and more.

School districts must offer daily on-campus instruction for all students who wishes to attend, but any parent may request for their child to receive virtual instruction from any school that offers such instruction.

Under the new guidelines, students and teachers will be required to wear masks that is consistent with Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order when they begin in-person classes. At the moment, masks are required in counties with more than 20 reported COVID-19 cases. Abbott’s order doesn’t apply to children under 10 years old. Schools can mandate students and teachers wear masks but they do not have to, education Commissioner Mike Morath told the Texas Tribune.

Teachers and staffs should self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms and must report to the school system if they have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.

The guidelines offers “operational considerations” and suggests that schools “should attempt” to have hand sanitizer or hand washing stations with soap and water at each entrance and every classroom. It also notes that campuses “should institute more frequent cleaning practices” and whenever possible, to open windows to allow more air flow.

The Texas State Teachers Association criticized TEA’s guidelines for not providing “more explicit guidance” and not including teachers and parents in the decision-making process. "Teachers who fear they will compromise their health by returning to campus should have the choice of teaching remotely, and it doesn't look like TEA guidelines will require that," Clay Robison, a spokesperson for TSTA told the Texas Tribune.

The guidelines require school districts to post summaries of their COVID-19 plans for the public a week before in-person classes begin. Read more on the guidelines here.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • UT System Board of Regents Approves $108M Housing Complex

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently announced the approval of a new, $108-million housing complex at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), according to a news release. The facility will stand four stories and have a total of 456 new beds for freshmen students.

  • concentric silhouettes of a human head

    How Physical Space Shapes the Mind: Designing for Better Learning Outcomes

    Research in environmental psychology and neuroscience increasingly suggests that the way a room is designed can influence memory, focus, or even a student's sense of belonging.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

Digital Edition