Parents have found school districts are in opposition to them when it comes to policies affecting a child’s education and parental access.
Parents residing within the Rockwall Independent School District (RISD) recently met with Texas Scorecard to discuss a number of the district’s policies. The group spoke about masks, psychological abuse, and over-the-top responses to the Chinese coronavirus.
They shared that students have received detention for wearing masks under their noses, with one nurse reportedly shouting at a student that they didn’t want to die because of the student not wearing a mask. Another nurse in an elementary school is said to be wearing a biohazard suit to school.
Parents are also concerned about a lack of accessibility. “If I have to go to school [because] I want to see my kids, I have to push the button … they come to the door,” said Olivia Delavega, a nurse with 13 years of experience. “I can’t even set foot inside of the school.”
“Now they’ve taken books away, so they don’t have stuff to come home to,” Douglas Roth stated. “It’s all online.”
“I am more concerned about the lack of any due process that parents have, including myself,” said Pat Cochrane, a parent in Prosper. He said he and his child are not personally impacted yet, but his activism and current campaign for the Prosper school board are spurred on by the other parents and the lack of recourse from them.
“This just boggles our minds that we are not allowed in the school to see a classroom, to meet with our teachers, to see who is with our children seven hours a day,” he continued.
When asked if he feels that the underlying issue is control, he replied, “Absolutely.”
After months of dealing with district officials in Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD), Wanda Maynard went in front of the school board on Monday, March 22, to speak about her 8-year-old son Joshua and the chronic infections he has endured more than six months from wearing a mask all day at school, including during recess.
Soor-el Puga, the MFISD media relations spokesperson, told Texas Scorecard, “The board did change the recess protocols, and the mask mandate is in place unless there are individual accommodations.”
Then there’s Katy Independent School District (KISD), where Bonnie Anderson is fighting the school board’s mask mandate on behalf of students who may have sensory or respiratory issues. Anderson said this issue, which is close to her heart, led her to run for the school board.
“The Katy ISD face-covering requirement is unbearable for many children, especially for children who have had previous injuries, respiratory illnesses, or trauma,” she said.
Anderson also believes not allowing parents on campus is “one of the biggest, most agonizing parts of the Katy ISD COVID-19 mitigation protocols.”
Parents are continuing to organize and challenge what they feel is an overreach of power from these school boards. If you see abuse in your school district, contact Texas Scorecard by emailing tcollum@texasscorecard.com.
