The Texas State Teachers Association is calling the delay in updating the social studies curriculum an “extremist attack on history curriculum” and an “attack on teachers.”

Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina released a scathing statement aimed at Texas policymakers on Monday.

In the wake of the Santa Fe High School shooting in 2018, Texas lawmakers passed two bills in the 86th legislative session to increase campus security and teacher training. One was Senate Bill 11.

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas State Teachers Association has filed a grievance with the North East Independent School District on behalf of the North East Education Association (NEEA). “The district administration has not provided a safe environment for our members, other district educators and students and has directed us to work in unsafe conditions,” said middle school social studies teacher and NEEA President Adonis Schurmann. Phase five allows all students back in the classroom and phase three allows no more than 15 students per classroom. NEISD has a comprehensive safety plan that was developed with input from teachers, district staff, community members and medical professionals. If the grievance issues are not resolved at the district level, the NEEA can file an appeal to the state education commissioner.

SAN ANTONIO A coalition of teachers unions is demanding that campuses remain closed for at least the first nine weeks of the school year and that districts focus on virtual learning during that time. The rallies, with teachers, students and parents were held at the San Antonio Alliance office and the central offices of the North East and Northside independent school districts. Greg Abbott, the San Antonio Metro Health District has directed no on-campus face-to-face instruction until after Sept. 7. The health district is expected to issue an amended health directive later this week. COVID-19 continues to spread, unchecked, in our communities, and San Antonio lacks the testing and contact tracing infrastructure to support even the most limited reopening plans, the letter from San Antonio Alliance states.

AUSTIN, Texas Texas State Teachers Association President Noel Candelaria announced Tuesday that the state needs to mandate that students and teachers wear masks on school campuses this fall. Greg Abbott and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath are refusing to order school districts to mandate mask requirements. In their haste to reopen schools in the midst of a deadly pandemic, Gov. The Texas Education Agency has prepared a list of guidelines, many of them good, for school reopenings, but safety remains first and foremost for educators and students, Candelaria said. The governor needs to be a leader and take the initiative on this critical health and safety issue.Related: Draft documents show Texas planning few mandatory safety measures when public schools reopen in fall