CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There's a tough decision for area parents and school districts. Should face mask be required in the classroom?
The Texas Education Agency said it won't update its health guidance amid the legal battle, specifically over mask mandates as various schools across Texas make the move to issue face mask requirements.
In the Coastal Bend, the Corpus Christi Independent School District said masks are optional but encouraged.
Officials with the Diocese of Corpus Christi said indoor masks for students and staff will be required regardless of vaccine status.
Now, West Oso ISD school board members are set to possibly vote on passing a mandatory mask order. It's believed that the district may have the power to do this in spite of the governor not enforcing any mandate for Texans.
The superintendent is hoping that the school board will make mask wearing a mandatory order. Superintendent Conrado Garcia said the primary duty that he and the school board have is ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff. At Monday's board meeting, they're going to discuss a mandatory mask order.
"We believe that the board of trustees still has the right by statute to be able to make their own decisions and governing their district," Garcia said. "So they want to explore it. They really want to have this conversation and I applaud them for it."
If the mandatory mask order was passed by the school board, we wondered how it would be enforced? With students or teachers be sent home if they refused to wear a mask?
"It's not to be punitive at all," Garcia said.
Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales weighed in on the West Oso mandatory mask issue and said if the board voted to order mandatory mask wearing that it would be supported by emergency management, our local health authority, public health department as well as our hospitals.
"I think these are the right conversations to be having," Canales said. "There's a whole section of children who are not protected and that's the under 12 because the under 12 aren't eligible at this time for the vaccine so I think the conversation is happening at West Oso so it happens at every school district simply because there's so many unprotected."
Garcia said if the mask wearing mandate passes, he doesn't expect 100% compliance, but if he could get more than 95% of staff and students wearing the masks, they would be doing good.
The first day of school at West Oso is August 23.