More Texas students tested positive for COVID-19 last week than at any time last school year
There have been 20,256 reported cases among students across the state since the school year began. Full Story
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Brian Lopez
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Brian Lopez was The Texas Tribune's public education reporter from 2021 until 2024. He covered how policy and politics affect Texas’ K-12 public education system and the nearly 5.5 million kids enrolled in public schools. Previously, he was the Tarrant County reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Brian is a New York native but moved to Texas after high school. He graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington.
Past Contributions
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![Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Extended unemployment benefits for jobless Texans will end in September, state agency says
The Texas Workforce Commission announced that the U.S. Department of Labor notified the commission that the state’s unemployment rate fell below the threshold needed to continue the benefits. Full Story
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![The Texas Workforce Commission Building in Austin on March 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
With a full plate of controversial bills to go, Texas House committee OKs funding for virtual learning
Public hearing on bill about teaching race and history draws a crowd. Full Story
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![A Texas elementary school student works on a laptop.]()
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Rural schools shut down to keep COVID-19 from overwhelming their small communities
The small districts aren’t fighting Gov. Greg Abbott’s mask rules, but fears for staff, students and local medical facilities are driving them to fight COVID-19 with temporary closures. Full Story
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![Social distance markers are on the ground to enforce COVID-19 safety at Highland Village Elementary on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas says schools now must notify families of positive COVID-19 cases in classrooms
This is a reversal of the Texas Education Agency’s previous guidance, which didn’t explicitly require school districts to notify parents of a close contact with the virus. Full Story
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![Students arrive at Morehead Middle School on Aug. 19, 2021, in El Paso. The school district, EPISD, as of today voted a mask mandate for all teachers, staff and students in school facilities, defying Gov. Abbott's order that restricted local entities from instituting mask mandates.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Confusion reigns in Texas as legal fight over mask mandates rages between local officials and Gov. Greg Abbott
Back-and-forth legal rulings have left some school districts with the choice of flouting Abbott and mandating masks — or waiting for the dust to settle. Full Story
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![A sign at Big Top, a candy store in Austin, tells patrons that masks are required for entry on July 19, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Across Texas, frantic parents search for options to keep kids safe in school
For the second straight year, schools must worry about keeping their staff and their children safe and ensure that they’re providing the best possible education during a pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Texans. Full Story
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![A fifth-grader at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley works on their laptop behind a clear barrier meant to stop the spread of COVID-19 on Sept. 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott’s order banning mask mandates in Texas schools faces lawsuit, defiance by big-city districts
Dallas ISD and Austin ISD announced Monday they will require masking, while Houston ISD will vote on a mandate this week. A nonprofit group has also sued to block Abbott’s order. Full Story
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![Fifth graders at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley work from behind desktop barriers meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Sept. 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas won’t require schools to notify parents of COVID-19 cases
The new guidance will allow for remote learning for up to 20 days for students who are sick with COVID-19 or have been exposed to it. Full Story
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![Plexiglass and six feet of distance between each desk keep students socially distant in Abigail Boyett's third grade classroom.]()
Credit: Alejandra Casas for The Texas Tribune