El Paso, Socorro districts vote to mandate masks in schools
El Paso’s two largest school districts will follow an indoor mask mandate from the county health authority, the El Paso and Socorro school boards decided Tuesday night.
The El Paso Independent School District’s Board of Trustees late Tuesday voted 6-1 to follow Dr. Hector Ocaranza’s health order announced Monday requiring people 2 years and older to wear face coverings in most indoor settings, including schools. Masks will be required in EPISD buses and schools beginning Thursday.
The motion approved by the EPISD board also committed the district to joining a pending lawsuit by La Joya Independent School District and others in Travis County challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates. Trustee Daniel Call cast the only dissenting vote on the motion to require masks and sue the governor.
The El Paso City Council voted 5-3 Monday to file a lawsuit against Abbott to protect Ocaranza’s mask mandate. On Tuesday, County Court-at-Law No. 7 Judge Ruben Morales issued a temporary restraining order finding that Abbott’s executive order barring mask mandates exceeded his authority, the city said in a news release.
Read more: https://elpasomatters.org/2021/08/17/el-paso-socorro-districts-vote-to-mandate-masks-in-schools/