they’re nearly brand-new
Monday.
>> From
KPRC. 2. This is Houston
newsmakers with khambrel
Marshall hisd.
>> It’s going to take a little
bit different stance and its
superintendent. What I plan
to do is bringing back a mask
mandate for ratification in our
next board meeting.
>> At that board meeting.
Superintendent House got
unanimous board approval but
also heard from many who were
against his decision to require
masks for all staff and
students. He is one of several
examples in Texas and in other
states where local leaders are
pushing back against executive
orders Miller house. The second
joins me this morning to talk
about his concerns for the
safety of the folks in your
community. Mister House, thank
you for joining me and want to
ask you, first
of all, what is it that made
you decide to make that
decision in spite of what you
understand to be the governor’s
orders not to do so.
>> First of all, good morning
I’m Kimberly, it’s always good
to
see you. And of you know, the
most compelling being talked
about.
>> Where we are with the mask
mandate is where the data is
right now. When I when I got to this community, 6, 6, weeks
to this community, 6, 6, weeks
ago we were looking
for
Community spread. We’re 6 weeks
later in a place we’re looking at, you
a place we’re looking at, you
know, approaching 20%
exchanging
essentially bailing. We also
know that the hospital
hospitalization rates are
increasing the number of are
in our hospitals as well.
So it’s a major concern not
with just hisd. I think it’s a major
just hisd. I think it’s a major
concern with with everybody.
There are state regardless of
what people may think. I know
it’s a concern with our
governors, went out. We decided
to take a little bit different
stance and was focused
specifically on the health and
safety of a strong reopening,
as you know, is essential.
For us in for 18 months.
Our students have been in many
cases in seclusion and we won
so bad to ensure that they a
wonderful opening where they
feel confident about being back
in the walls of our our schools
throughout throughout Houston
and have a focus on the needs that they
that they
need today really need to have
needs the academic so this was, you know, not a decision that
you know, not a decision that
we.
We wanted to to see is a
controversial decision an
opportunity to to push back
against government officials
less. And that’s not what this was about. This was about
was about. This was about
keeping children safe. My
children are.
All right. I see students as
well. I don’t necessarily want.
To wear a mask. They don’t
necessarily want, you know,
my unvaccinated son team to
wear a mask or by vaccinated
daughter to wear
a mask. But right in this particular moment in time.
particular moment in time.
We think it’s important to we
get to a place for our
community safer. What you know,
one of the the word mandate
seem to be one of the sticking
points here in the governor and
a lot of people who you heard
from it. >> Board meeting this
>> Board meeting this
past week are concerned about
being told that they have to
some states one of their about
school boards in Florida said
that they want to put in a
mandate or give a parent an
opportunity to
opt out. Has that been
something you considered that
way. At least the parents still
have an opportunity to say I’m
in charge of what my pen, my
students are doing or
not doing.
>> This is a controversial
issue and they’re going to be
people on both
that agree that was indicative of what we saw last night in
of what we saw last night in
our board We had passionate
parents that really
spoke to why a mask mandate
should not be in place. We had passion parents his phone too.
passion parents his phone too.
Why it should be in place we’ve
been at students that spoke to,
you know why it should not be
in place that I
think there’s people on both sides of this argument across
sides of this argument across
the But we felt that the data
again was
compelling enough to move
forward to to mandate and we
will not have enough today will be released, not ready, said
be released, not ready, said
the plan and the plan will
detail.
Kim Burrell exactly what our
expectations The news, the downs and the focus on ensuring
downs and the focus on ensuring
that we have a safe return.
What if the court say, OK,
you’re out of bounds and they
decide against. See what
happens in.
>> You know, I want to focus on
what’s in front of us
right now. 5. The courts come
back with something course.
We haven’t been sued. We
haven’t sued anybody and we don’t we don’t plan to. I think
don’t we don’t plan to. I think
there’s been some assumptions
out there.
>> In terms of the court.
You know, we really don’t react
legally and until.
and until.
>> You you have someone that’s
reacted
towards you. And that hasn’t
we’re looking forward again to
have a a strong storms start to the school year in bringing
the school year in bringing
our students back to at a high
level when to ensure that.
They feel confident about being in our schools and to shore
in our schools and to shore
community that our schools can
be a safe place in many in many
cases safer than the with the
mitigation strategies. If we
will focus on the governor said that the people who pushed back
that the people who pushed back
against this order will be
taking a quarter and was fined.
Tea’s also said school
should not.
>> Have mask mandates. You
concerned about the
relationship that can see continuing considering there’s
continuing considering there’s
already a tenuous relationship
between t an hisd
right now. Relationship with
what and the governor’s office important. We have to
important. We have to
work together. And I think we
have the same goals and that
invests in sure that our have
the safest environment. Our
kids are learning at a high level that were functional
level that were functional
organizations. A new would we
need to do to.
>> To ensure that our
communities are confident the
education of our students are many of our goals are the same
many of our goals are the same
I think this is
a time you know, in our where
we’re going to temporary
situation. And that’s what I think people have to understand
think people have to understand
this is not something that
hopefully will be extended for
years. This is a temporary
time. Hopefully this mask may does it mandate is temporary.
does it mandate is temporary.
We get to a place where we have
more people we have less
situations of community spread.
We move from red to yellow to
green in our community spread
in
Harris County. hopefully those
things will come to fruition
but the relationship is
important and we want you. We want to work together with
We want to work together with
t A and the governor’s office
to that we’re doing so for kids
superintendent House, thank you
for your time this morning was