Texas Border Business
PHARR – The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution requesting Governor Greg Abbott to allow district to make local decisions regarding COVID-19 during their regularly scheduled board meeting of August 9, 2021.
The resolution reiterates the declaration of emergency by Hidalgo County regarding the potential spread of COVID-19 in the area and specifies that COVID-19 and its variants are an unforeseen and unavoidable emergency of urgent public necessity, which requires district officials to make decisions quickly to ensure the safety of its students and employees.
As stated in the resolution, the PSJA School Board believes that having the ability to mandate masks, if the local data requires it, would further the ultimate goal of providing in-person instruction in a safe and effective manner.
“Based on the current circumstances in Hidalgo County and in the school district…face coverings should be mandatory in the school district’s buildings to be able to provide in-person school instruction in a safe and effective manner,” the Resolution further states.
The PSJA School Board requests for Governor Abbott to:
1. Recognize that local school boards have the exclusive authority to determine whether face coverings should be required to ensure the safety of students and staff; and
2. Give Commissioner of Education the authority to allow funding for virtual instruction, in the event that local school boards determine that their school districts need to provide virtual instruction to students who cannot receive in-person instruction as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We thank the support and unity of our PSJA School Board and entire community to send this strong message, as we continue to work on keeping our students safe,” said PSJA Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo.
