"I expect the worst": A Texas parent worries about sending her children back to school in person

The first day of school in most Texas school districts is fast approaching.

Parents who are concerned by the lack of mask mandates to combat the spread of the coronavirus are left with few options this year.

Texas provided funds for remote learning during the start of the pandemic. But efforts to fund it for this school year have so far failed in the Texas Legislature.

While public health experts and medical professionals are sounding the alarm over the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott has stood firm on his ban against mask mandates in schools.

That has parents like Markesha Powell of Brenham worried about sending their kids back to school.

Listen to Powell's perspective in The Texas Tribune's Weekend Brief podcast here.

This story comes from our ABC13 partners at The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans - and engages with them - about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.