HOUSTON – School starts in a few days and COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise. KPRC 2 spoke to parents about students about the possibility of having to wear masks at school.
“I think they should insist that kids wear masks under the age of 11 and 12. They are so used to it anyway. It doesn’t make any difference, and it’s not going to hurt them,” parents Beverly said.
Per Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order, school districts are not allowed to mandate masks. However, they must allow students to wear them if the students choose to wear them.
However, Houston Independent School District, the largest public school district in Texas, will hold a board meeting next week to discuss a possible mask mandate that will require all students and staff to wear a mask while on campus or on a school bus.
“I don’t really think that’s it’s necessary because I think when they are young their bodies are able to fight off a lot of the viruses and germs that are out there. It makes it harder for them to focus and harder to breathe,” one parent said.
Beverly has four grandchildren in HISD and says masks are needed. She says the Governor needs to change the rules.
“He needs to let each city decide what they want to do in each school district,” she said.
Terra Kurtz disagrees and said it should be a parent’s decision when it comes to masking mandates and not the school district.
“I don’t think it’s their place to tell parents how to parent their children. They are there to teach our children, not to instruct rules on us,” Kurtz said.