Fort Worth ISD president attends Dallas Cowboys game, sparks social media backlash
Fort Worth school board president Jacinto A. Ramos Jr. is under fire after he posted on Facebook a picture of himself attending Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys game with more than 20,000 fans in attendance, less than a week after he voted against in-person learning.
People on Facebook and Twitter asked why Ramos would be at a game with thousands after he deemed it unsafe for children to return to classrooms as scheduled on Oct. 5. Ramos did not immediately respond to an interview request.
One member of the private Facebook group Back in School - Back to Safety wrote that she doesn’t fault Ramos for going to the game. Instead, she pointed out that he made the choice to attend the game during the coronavirus pandemic while parents are just asking for the choice to send their kids to classrooms.
Another member of the Facebook group said parents should have the choice to send their kids to school just as Ramos had a choice to attend an event with thousands. Another said the post was tone-deaf and that Ramos shouldn’t be president.
Texas Rangers sideline reporter Emily Jones called out Ramos on Twitter, saying that “In a public school system, everyone deserves a choice of in-person learning.”
On Tuesday, the Fort Worth school board will once again debate when optional in-person classes should start.
The board voted 5-4 on Sept. 15 to begin in-person learning on Oct. 5. At that meeting, Ramos voted in favor of extending online-only learning for another four weeks.
“I absolutely think we ought to be asking for more time, see where the numbers go,” Ramos said at the Sept. 15 meeting. “We heard from the public health expert, and that’s just where my heart’s at.”
On Tuesday, the board could possibly vote to extend the transition from online learning until Oct. 30. The transition to optional in-person classes would then be completed Nov. 2.
Clint Bond, Fort Worth ISD spokesperson, said board members requested the Oct. 5 start date be reconsidered, but Superintendent Kent Scribner will recommend that schools should start in-person on Oct. 5, as previously agreed.
Based on current data, the Tarrant County COVID-19 dashboard for school districts recommends that most schools should continue virtual learning.
More than 2,000 students and 2,000 staff members across Texas have tested positive for the coronavirus since the start of the school year. Those numbers represent less than 1% of the students and staff who have been on school campuses statewide.
Tuesday’s meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Those who want to address the board during the virtual meeting must contact Amanda Coleman at 817-814-1956 before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The public can listen by phone or watch the meeting via Zoom, on the district’s website or YouTube channel. Meetings also are televised live by EdTV, the district’s TV station, on Spectrum/Charter Cable Channel 192 or AT&T U-Verse 99.
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 2:45 PM.
