Texas Faculty Association calls for Abbott to mandate that colleges enforce mask rule

The Texas Faculty Association (TFA) is calling for Gov. Greg Abbott to keep his statewide mask order in effect when college students return to their campuses in the fall, according to a statement sent out on Monday.

Additionally, the association is also calling for Abbott to mandate all Texas colleges to actually enforce the executive order.

Pat Heintzelman, president of the Texas Faculty Association, said in the news release that some college administrators in the state have indicated that they are “reluctant” to enforce the use of masks or face coverings once students return to campus.

“The governor must amend his order to mandate enforcement in classrooms, laboratories, and other public areas on college and university campuses to protect everyone’s health and safety. Health and safety must take precedence over inconvenience and other excuses for not wanting to wear a mask unless one is granted a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Heintzelman said.

In early July, Abbott mandated Texans living in counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases to wear some kind of face covering when inside a public building if social distancing is not possible. The order provides some exceptions.

But several law enforcement officials throughout the state have refused to enforce the mask order, the Texas Tribune reports.

With the fall semester right around the corner, TFA is calling for the governor’s mask mandate to make enforcement of the executive order mandatory for colleges throughout the state.

The University of North Texas (UNT) has already declared a mask requirement, but it says on its website that “UNT Police are not responsible for enforcing social-distancing or face-covering guidelines.”

UNT is asking people to not call the police if someone’s not wearing a face mask.

The University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Christian University and several other North Texas colleges require the use of face coverings, but as to what exactly happens when someone refuses to wear one while on-campus remains unclear.

Martha Compton, president of the Association for Student Conduct Administration, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that most students will comply with mask mandates and that colleges should work to educate their students on why they should wear face coverings.

But Compton also said that universities should not be afraid “to use the tools in the tool belt” when a student repeatedly violates a mask order or even when a student tests positive for COVID-19 and breaks quarantine.

“For me, that’s absolutely a place where a university needs to step in and take some action,” she said.

This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 5:30 AM.