Today is the first day of the new school year for the Mesquite ISD. The district's Superintendent says they are taking several steps to limit the spread of COVID-19, but he will not impose a mask mandate on students or employees.
Superintendent Dr. David Vroonland posted a message online explaining his decision to parents. He says the district is limited by Governor Greg Abbott's executive order blocking school districts from adopting mask mandates.
"Many of you have seen what DISD (the Dallas ISD) did in basically refusing to follow the mandate of the Governor of the State of Texas. From my perspective, that is not a position I can take," Dr. Vroonland said.
"I'm not allowed to refuse to follow the law of the state of Texas. I know many people believe we're not doing this because we're concerned about the consequence of not following the law. That is absolutely not the case," Dr. Vroonland said. "It is, in my opinion, our obligation to follow the law...especially as educators...as we teach our children the importance of following rules and following the laws of our nation. So with that in mind, the Mesquite ISD will continue to follow the order of Governor Abbott until such time as that order is un-done."
Dr. Vroonland is encouraging people to wear masks at Mesquite ISD facilities, even if it's not a requirement. "I really want to make certain that all of you are considering wearing masks in our school buildings when you are there," he said.
He noted that the district has taken other steps to help keep people safe.
"Mesquite ISD has invested heavily in different systems, including bipolar ionization, to improve the safety situations at our schools as it relates to COVID and other diseases and other airborne particulates," he said. "But we've also invested heavily in cleaning crews every day to be at the campus."
