‘Be bold and protect’ students: Residents urge mask mandate for Fort Worth schools
Update: Fort Worth ISD announces mask mandate to begin school year.
About 50 parents, educators and medical professionals called for the implementation of a mask mandate at Fort Worth ISD schools during a board meeting Tuesday as COVID-19 cases rise across Texas.
During public comments, most speakers urged district leadership to defy Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order preventing public schools from enforcing masks. Speakers said leadership has a responsibility to maintain the well-being and safety of students, and the district would be putting younger students in danger if a mask mandate is not in place.
The crowd urged the district with about 40 speakers and signs that read “SCIENCE NOT POLITICS.”
On Monday, Dallas ISD and Austin ISD officials announced that they will require students and teachers to wear masks on campus, in defiance of the governor’s order. Houston ISD officials are set to discuss the issue this week.
Fort Worth policy says the district will “strongly encourage” mask-wearing but does not require masks on campus.
“We do not allow the politics of our state governor to dictate the safety of our children,” Fort Worth resident Wallace Bridges said. “[This] is a great opportunity for the voters to see where the new Fort Worth ISD leadership’s loyalty lies. Is it with the governor, or is it with our children?”
North Texas is currently in the midst of a COVID-19 case spike, just as the virus is surging through much of the state and country largely because of the spread of the delta variant.
Last week, Tarrant County led North Texas in hospitalizations and is currently seeing the highest weekly case counts since mid-February.
This spike is concerning some parents and teachers, as Fort Worth schools intend to start full in-person instruction on Monday for the first time since the pandemic began and a majority of students are unable to be vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccines have only been authorized for people age 12 and older in the U.S., with Food and Drug Administration officials saying that a vaccine for children under 12 won’t be available until around winter.
Fort Worth resident Alex Montalvo said his fourth grade daughter can’t get vaccinated and has asthma. He said the district needs to implement a mask mandate and provide a virtual learning option for vulnerable students.
“Do not ask us to put her at risk,” he said. “Be bold and protect Fort Worth ISD students. They need real leadership.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 8:00 PM.
