A Dallas school district announced Monday that all students and staff must wear masks on district property despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s prohibition against mandates.
The Dallas Independent School District cited the county’s “level red” status indicating the significant local spread of COVID-19 in its decision to require masking “temporarily,” beginning Tuesday, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends.
The requirement defies an order Abbott issued on May 18 prohibiting government entities from imposing mask mandates. For schools, in particular, the order prohibited districts from requiring masks beyond June 4.
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“Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities,” Abbott said at the time. “We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans’ liberty to choose whether or not they mask up.”
The district said that the governor’s order, which asserted the authority to override most local mandates, does not apply to its ability to require masks.
Effective Tuesday, August 10, to protect staff and students from the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, Dallas ISD is temporarily requiring all staff, students and visitors to wear masks when on district property.
Details: https://t.co/wtKKlj0UmG pic.twitter.com/F8GbXg1NPl
— Dallas ISD (@dallasschools) August 9, 2021
“Governor Abbott’s order does not limit the district’s rights as an employer and educational institution to establish reasonable and necessary safety rules for its staff and students,” a statement from the district said. “Dallas ISD remains committed to the safety of our students and staff.”
The announcement puts the Dallas district in the company of numerous others that have announced similar masking requirements, some of which came even before the CDC’s change in guidance on masking among the vaccinated.
Since the CDC’s change, the issue of masking has again become a divisive political issue. The Biden administration has sharply criticized governors like Abbott and Florida’s Ron DeSantis for preventing localities from requiring masks as more people are becoming infected with the coronavirus’s delta variant.
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While many Republicans have opposed the new federal masking guidance, a few have supported more deference to local authorities.
“I do disagree with Gov. DeSantis,” Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician, said Sunday. “The local officials should have control here. I don’t want top-down from Washington, D.C. I don’t want top-down from a governor’s office.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Abbott’s office for comment on the district’s announcement but did not immediately receive a response.
