A school district in the Austin area is challenging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban (R) on face masks in schools as COVID-19 cases approach the district.
The Lockhart Independent School District Board announced Saturday which masks for all students, staff, parents and visitors to buildings and buses would be required.
The announcement came after one 5-2 board vote. It goes into effect immediately and allows for some exceptions depending on a person’s age, medical condition, or disability.
The announcement indicates that there are 204 active cases of COVID-19 in the district with 781 students in quarantine. Four online classes had to be moved and a student program had to be canceled due to the number of coronavirus cases.
The board also told parents that a virtual learning option is being studied due to the pandemic situation.
The mandate of the masks goes directly against Abbott’s executive order banning schools from requiring students to wear masks.
Texas schools have been fighting Abbott’s executive order in court due to the increase in delta variant cases across the country.
Thousands of students across the country had to be quarantined after starting school due to COVID-19 outbreaks, but many districts are reluctant to move entirely to e-learning.
There have been at least 1,000 schools that have closed in 31 states since July due to the coronavirus, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Over the course of the pandemic, Texas has recorded more than 3.7 million cases and more than 58,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The state has a total vaccine of 49% of its population.