Austin News

Lake Travis Independent School District has made masks optional for staff, students and visitors effective immediately in response to Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order no longer requiring public schools to mandate masks. 

According to Marco Alvarado, Lake Travis ISD director of communications, media and community relations, the school board has notified its previous masks regulations, making them now optional instead of required, but no other COVID-19 protocols have been changed. 

"During its regular meeting Wednesday, May 19, our school board voted to make two modifications to our current masking requirements. The first change allows for the optional use of masks and other face coverings for staff, students, and visitors while outdoors on district property, effective immediately. The second modification allows for the optional use of masks and other face coverings for staff, students, and visitors while indoors on district property, effective at 12:01 a.m., Monday, May 24, 2021. No other modifications were made to the district’s current protocols for COVID," Alvarado told Austin News.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott | File Photo

Alvarado said that any changes to COVID-19 related protocol or changes for the fall session of next school year have yet to be determined, but the current Return to School Protocols currently listed on the school website will remain in place until further notice. 

"At this time, we have not yet determined our guidelines for the fall. We expect those decisions to be forthcoming this summer," he said. 

In a press release from the governor's office, Abbott said it should now be up to Texans to decide if they choose to wear masks without having to be forced to do so. 

"The Lone Star State continues to defeat COVID-19 through the use of widely available vaccines, antibody therapeutic drugs, and safe practices utilized by Texans in our communities," Abbott said in the release. "Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities. We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans' liberty to choose whether or not they mask up."

The Texas Education Agency will have to amend its guidelines no longer requiring parents, students, teachers, and visitors to wear face coverings by the end of the day on June 4. 

In July 2020, Abbott instituted a mask mandate, requiring all Texans to wear a mask in public, which caused much confusion for some. In his first order, Abbott prohibited counties from mandating masks, but the order was very round-about and hinted at loopholes allowing counties to dismiss his order and continue to mandate masks, Texas Monthly reported.

Abbott's actions have been contrasted with those of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who rescinded most COVID-19 restrictions back in the fall. DeSantis did, however, allow localities to mandate masks, but neutered any ability they had to enforce any orders, NPR reported.

DeSantis has recently issue a new order that bans local governments from mandating masks two weeks before Abbott's order, but Florida did not apply this order to public schools. This is one major contract to Abbott's order, the Tampa Bay reported. 

ABC 13 recently reported that Texas has had zero COVID-19 deaths for the first time in 14 months.