Draft documents show Texas planning few mandatory safety measures when public schools reopen in fall

Students gather in an auditorium before class. Photo credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Texas education officials are planning a light-handed role in coronavirus prevention measures, mirroring Gov. Greg Abbott’s general approach to reopening the state’s economy. Masks and distancing are recommended, but not mandatory.

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Texas is heading down a dangerous path, local leaders warn as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge

When Gov. Greg Abbott let businesses start reopening, he pointed to two metrics as encouraging signs: the hospitalization rate and the infection rate. Both of those metrics are on the rise in Texas.

Coronavirus test samples are organized into coolers at a mobile testing site in Uhland. Photo credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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Gov. Greg Abbott urges voluntary measures to curb coronavirus spread but says closing Texas will be the “last option”

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the categories of medical surge facilities during a press conference at the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Photo credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool/American-Statesman

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