Angleton ISD mandates masks in response to rising COVID cases
One Angleton ISD elementary school reported eight COVID cases among staff and 24 among students.
ANGLETON, Texas (KTRK) -- More than a week after temporarily closing campuses in an attempt to fight the spread of COVID-19, another Houston-area school district is mandating face masks for students and staff.
The Angleton ISD Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a resolution that set guidelines for wearing face coverings inside all district facilities.
Angleton is one of the first in the region to enact a face mask mandate as a response measure.
"I fully support and recommend this resolution," Angleton ISD Superintendent Phil Edwards said in a statement. "Hopefully, we will see a decrease in cases very soon and will be able to return to a more normal educational setting,"
The mandate goes into effect on Sept. 13, and waivers will be required from parents if they want their children to opt-out of the requirement.
Angleton joins a number of other districts in the region and across the state that have defied state leaders' desires to prevent mask mandates.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have been vocal about their stance on the issue, threatening local governments and school districts with legal action over mandates like Angleton's, but representatives for both have argued in court that they aren't able to enforce their bans on the mandates.
Students returned to Angleton classrooms on Sept. 7 after being kept away due to an uptick in cases.
For more updates, visit Angleton ISD's website.
The Texas Tribune contributed to this report.
