AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers are petitioning Gov. Greg Abbott to reconsider his ban on mask mandates.
On Saturday, Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D) released a petition via Twitter urging the governor to allow schools to mandate masks and offer virtual learning options.
The petition is currently signed by 31 Texas House members and sites the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant as the main push to reinstate mask mandates. According to the release, "the Department of State Health Service says the number of weekly new cases statewide has increased over fivefold in the last month."
With schools reopening in just a few weeks, the petition says lawmakers have received several calls from concerned parents about the lack of COVID-19 protections in schools for the upcoming school year.
The lawmakers are calling on Abbott to act on two fronts: provide virtual learning options for at-risk or nonvaccinated students and reverse the current ban on mask mandates in schools.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: