Dallas City Wire

Reopening Texas schools for in-person learning has become a white hot-button issue, and the superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) faced immediate backlash over his recently announced plan.

Supt. Michael Hinojosa indicated that he wants teachers to instruct from the classroom even if students are not present, calling it “unprofessional” to teach remote classes from their homes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 10. Hinojosa’s plans were immediately criticized by teachers unions and educators. 

“We had to back down from that expectation,” Hinojosa told Fox News on Aug. 13, adding that he has delayed school reopenings from Aug. 17 to Sept. 8. “We need our students back in the classroom whenever possible. We’re trying to work with everyone but this is a no-win situation for everybody if we don’t get a solution soon.”

DISD Supt. Michael Hinojosa | YouTube

A DISD board meeting was held Thursday to discuss more details on Dallas’ reopening plan, reported WBAP News Talk radio. Part of the safety protocols for in-person learning include disinfecting classroom seats twice a day and thoroughly disinfecting rooms, as well as social distancing.

Dallas and other Texas schools are facing the same challenges as schools nationwide. In addition, teachers' unions have pushed back against school reopenings, citing teachers' safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and have even authorized a "safety strike" if they believe it is unsafe to return to the classroom, NPR reported. 

The unions have also compiled a set of demands they want met before teachers can return to their classrooms, many of which have little to do with the safety of students, teachers, staff and families. They include include police-free schools, rent and mortgage cancellations, direct cash assistance for the unemployed or those unable to work, a standardized testing pause and a moratorium on new charter schools or school vouchers, Education Week reported. 

The Centers for Disease Control has endorsed in-person classes and touted the health benefits of children returning to school versus the risk of contracting or transmitting the virus.

“Aside from a child’s home, no other setting has more influence on a child’s health and well-being than their school," the CDC stated on its website. "The in-person school environment provides educational instruction, supports the development of social and emotional skills, creates a safe environment for learning, addresses nutritional needs and facilitates physical activity.

“The best available evidence from countries that have opened schools indicates that COVID-19 poses low risks to school-age children, at least in areas with low community transmission, and suggests that children are unlikely to be major drivers of the spread of the virus,” the CDC continued. 

Across Texas, some schools are readying to reopen for in-person instruction, with plexiglass, sanitizers and distanced chairs already in place, the Texas Tribune reported. While the majority of teaching will continue to be remote, at least at the start of the school year, most of the state's school districts are aiming to bring students back into the classrooms.