WASHINGTON – White House took a swipe Monday at efforts by Gov. Greg Abbott to block mask mandates imposed by local school districts, accusing him of playing politics at the expense of public health.
“In Texas, the state is fighting a critical public health measure to protect our children and keep our schools safely open,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, pivoting from a question about a similar tussle in Virginia.
“For Headstart communities – a provision that is requiring masks to keep students and keep community state – they’re fighting against that. Why is that? I think that has that has more to do with politics than it does with public health,” she said.
Abbott issued an executive order in July that barred all Texas governmental entities, including school districts, from requiring face coverings.
He has made the fight a centerpiece of his outreach to conservatives. Announcing a parents’ “bill of rights” last Thursday at a Lewisville charter school, for instance, he drew applause when he boasted about the order, which he said empowered parents to decide what’s best for their children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal masking inside schools to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Dozens of districts around Texas have sued Abbott, asserting he doesn’t have the legal authority to prevent them from imposing local masking rules intended to keep students and staff safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November, a federal judge in Austin blocked enforcement of Abbott’s order, after a challenge by disability advocates. Included in the injunction was a ban on withholding state money from districts with mask mandates.
The judge also blocked state Attorney General Ken Paxton from suing school districts that require face coverings for students, teachers and staff.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals restored the governor’s executive order on Dec. 1, overturning the lower court.
The omicron surge has kept the fight alive.
Last week, Northside Independent School District – San Antonio’s largest district – reinstated an indoor mask mandate that applies to students, staff and visitors.
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