Sick TEA says Dallas Schools to open in August 2020. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) says schools must open their physical doors in August, unless Abbott orders a closure or if there is “a confirmed case on campus.”
Readers should note that this guidance was issued by employees working from home.
TEA has also been keeping dollars meant for local jurisdictions in Austin. The guidance for parents, students, and administrators is here and “Changes to the public health situation over the course of the summer may necessitate changes to this guidance.” Nonetheless they are plowing forward with a bad plan and federal dollars in their backpocket.
Dallas Schools Were Slow To Close In March
Despite rising cases of COVID19 and several on Dallas ISD campuses the district administration was slow to close schools prior to Spring Break – waiting until March 16, 2020 to make the decision.
Per a statement from the State Fair of Texas, the Board of Directors has voted to cancel the 2020 State Fair of Texas. After extensive consideration of the current landscape related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the health and safety of all fairgoers and overall community.
“This was an extremely tough decision. The health and safety of all involved has remained our top priority throughout the decision-making process,” said Gina Norris, board chair for the State Fair of Texas. “One of the greatest aspects of the Fair is welcoming each and every person who passes through our gates with smiles and open arms. In the current climate of COVID-19, there is no feasible way for the Fair to put proper precautions in place while maintaining the Fair environment you know and love. While we cannot predict what the COVID-19 pandemic will look like in September, the recent surge in positive cases is troubling for all of North Texas. The safest and most responsible decision we could make for all involved at this point in our 134-year history is to take a hiatus for the 2020 season.”
Corny Dogs At Football
The NCAA, the respective conferences, and participating universities – the University of Texas & University of Oklahoma and Prairie View A&M University & Grambling State University will make decisions regarding scheduled football games at a later date. They would still occur at Cotton Bowl Stadium should they be played.
This will be the first time since World War II that the State Fair of Texas has not opened. The State Fair of Texas has previously canceled Fairs because of World War I (1918), planning for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition and 1937 Pan American Exposition at Fair Park (1935 – 1937), and World War II (1942 – 1945).
The 2021 State Fair of Texas is scheduled to run Friday, September 24 through Sunday, October 17 in historic Fair Park.
Texas reported 5000 new COVID19 cases. This is a single day-high for new coronavirus cases as of Tuesday and reached a new all-time high of hospitalized COVID-19 patients for tweve straight days.
This includes 1000 new Dallas cases and almost a dozen new deaths.
Gov. Greg Abbott had previewed the new single-day high during television interviews Tuesday afternoon before DSHS released specific figures.
The previous single-day high was 4,430 cases on Saturday. Since last Wednesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services has reported over 3,000 new cases each day, with 3,866 on Sunday and 3,280 on Monday. At least 2,192 deaths have been reported through Monday.
Dallas ISD parents are being asked for their opinion about how they want their children to return to school for the 2020-2021 school year per a post on the Townview Magnet Foundation website.
Parents can let Dallas school administration know what you think by filling out a survey for each of their children. You will find a video explaining the latest plans the district is considering and links to the survey for each school by visiting www.dallasisd.org/parentsurvey2020.
Donald Trump’s recent decadent Dallas fundraiser was hosted by long term State Senator Royce West business partner, Brint Ryan. West is currently seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge US Senator John Cornyn in November.
Royce West Partner Raising Money For Donald Trump
Brint Ryan is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ryan LLC – an indirect tax firm – which specializes in lowering tax payments in the areas of property, sales, and Value Added Taxes. Sen. Royce West is a forty percent owner in the firm which rakes in half a billion dollars annually and contributes regularly to Republican causes.
In 2016, Ryan donated more than $80,000 to the Republican National Committee and in 2017 was campaign treasurer for Lisa Luby Ryan’s failed campaign against State Representative John Turner. Lisa Luby Ryan beat moderate Jason Villalba in a contentious Republican primary before giving the seat away to Democrats just a few months later making a majority in the Texas State House of Representatives possible in 2020.
Ryan was also appointed by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to a business task force to improve the Texas economy, but much of the Ryan LLC website focuses on their expansive work exporting jobs overseas to Hyderabad and the United Kingdom.
Ryan is also known as the 2009 candidate who ran the most expensive Dallas City Council campaign in history. The race was not only expensive, but perhaps one of the vilest in history also ending in a now-settled libel and slander suit.
Ann Margolin ran a campaign on her long-time civic volunteer experience at city hall and on the Parkland Hospital board. Ryan ran as a successful businessman and outsider – sound familar – who was the “perfect candidate.”
Brint Ryan was also instrumental in bringing Donald Trump Jr to the University of North Texas for a business speaker series. That speech included a $100,000 honorarium.
Donald Trump In Dallas
On June 11, 2020, President Donald Trump, spoke in Dallas describing his administration’s policy response to issues raised by George Floyd protests nationwide. He was quoted as saying that some police officers who abuse their power are “bad apples,” but cautioned against “falsely labeling” many Americans as racist.
These remarks were before the Brint Ryan fundraiser for his reelection effort that cost more than $500,000 per couple and was expected to net $10 million.
While light on details, Trump said his plan centered on economic development in black and Latino communities — going “above” the federal Opportunity Zones program — but without real details. He also said his administration was investing “substantial sums” in medical institutions that serve communities of color. He added he was finalizing an executive order that would encourage police departments nationwide “to meet the most current professional standards for use of force, including tactics for deescalation.”
Senate Primary Runoff
The news of Royce West’s connection to Donald Trump made some Democrats livid.
One local Democrat supporting Royce West lashed out at MJ Hegar for a lack of feminist credentials because she had accepted contributions from a corporate lawyer who had defended a “serial predator in Hollywood.”
Others were more circumspect and concerned it was one more issue with Senator Royce West whose son recently received a no bid contract from a state agency Senator West oversees. Details of the Department of Transportation contract have still not been released, but it would allow him access to prime real estate near downtown Dallas near I-45.
The runoff election is scheduled from June 29, 2020 to July 14, 2020.
Tennell Atkins appointee to the Permit and License Appeal Board may be appealing a dismissal soon.
Michael Clark Smotherman, the District 8 representative to the Dallas Permit and License Appeal Board has some issues it appears.
In multiple Facebook and Twitter posts it appears he is not only pushing back on Black Lives Matter, but is also asking for assault against peaceful protestors, not unlike Philip Archibald, who was recently arrested and indicted by the US Attorney’s Office.
Tennell Atkins Appointments
Council Member Atkins has yet to respond for comment. Other Atkins appointees can be found here.
Masks for COVID19 prevention are back! Friday morning, Dallas County commissioners voted to mandate that businesses in the county require customers to wear a mask to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.
Dallas County Commissioners passed the order 3-2 after an emotional debate. Commissioners Elba Garcia and Theresa Daniel voted with County Judge Clay Jenkins in favor of the mask requirement. Commissioners J.J. Koch and John Wiley Price voted against.
Businesses that don’t comply face up to a $500 fine.
COVID19 In Texas
The order comes as Dallas and Tarrant county see COVID19 related infection spikes. This includes 413 confirmed cases in Dallas County on Wednesday.
Bexar County issued similar rules and Gov. Greg Abbott did not object to Bexar County’s new rule. In an interview he said: “Just like they can require people to wear shoes and shirts, these businesses can require people to wear face masks if they come into their businesses. Now, local officials are just now realizing that that was authorized.”
Governor COVID19 strikes again. State legislators were informed Thursday morning in a conference call that Texas students will be returning to public schools in person this fall.
Per a Texas Tribune article: “It will be safe for Texas public school students, teachers, and staff to return to school campuses for in-person instruction this fall. But there will also be flexibility for families with health concerns so that their children can be educated remotely, if the parent so chooses,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath.
The TEA is expected to release additional guidance for school districts next Tuesday, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standards are clear.
This is another poor decision by a Governor and his team that is seeing massive growth in COVID19 numbers as he mangles the response to the disease.
Centers for Disease Control COVID19 Standards
The more people a student or staff member interacts with, and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. The risk of COVID-19 spread increases in school settings as follows:
Lowest Risk: Students and teachers engage in virtual-only classes, activities, and events.
More Risk: Small, in-person classes, activities, and events. Groups of students stay together and with the same teacher throughout/across school days and groups do not mix. Students remain at least 6 feet apart and do not share objects (e.g., hybrid virtual and in-person class structures, or staggered/rotated scheduling to accommodate smaller class sizes).
Highest Risk: Full sized, in-person classes, activities, and events. Students are not spaced apart, share classroom materials or supplies, and mix between classes and activities.
COVID-19 is mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people talk, cough, or sneeze. It is thought that the virus may spread to hands from a contaminated surface and then to the nose or mouth, causing infection. Therefore, personal prevention practices (such as handwashing, staying home when sick) and environmental cleaning and disinfection are important principles that are covered in this document. Fortunately, there are a number of actions school administrators can take to help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread during school sessions and activities.
Monthly bulk waste and brush standards are changing effective July 1 for the City of Dallas. The quantity of a monthly brush and bulky trash set out for residential Sanitation customers may not exceed ten (10) cubic yards.
Brush Regulation Changes
Ten (10 ) cubic yards is roughly the equivalent of 10 household ovens. Once per year a residential customer is allowed an oversized collection of up to twenty (20) cubic yards, provided notification is made to the City the week in advance of the scheduled collection by contacting 3-1-1.
10 Cubic Yards Visual Representation
Waste/Sanitation Department Webpage
Dallas Sanitation has a webpage up – Curbside Manners – with a detailed FAQ and other information for city residents.
TexasCOVID and Governor Greg Abbott became a Twitter trending social media topic on Tuesday. In comments June 16 he criticized younger residents of his state for what he said was the reason in the coronavirus spike.
Abbott specifically called out young people.
“What we’re seeing there is that people of that age group, they’re not following these appropriate best health and safety practices,” he said in an interview Monday with Lubbock’s KLBK-TV. “They’re not wearing face masks, they’re not sanitizing their hands, they’re not maintaining the safe distancing practices. And as a result, they are contracting COVID-19 at a record pace in the state of Texas.”
Abbott provided no data to back up his assertions that TexasCOVID infections were increasing among 20-somethings faster than any other group.
The state of Texas began its phased reopening plan at the end of April. Bars were allowed to open May 22 with limited capacity and Abbott announced on June 3 that Texas would enter its third phase of reopening, meaning that restaurants could increase capacity to 75%.
The Governor said: “”We believe that a lot of people have let down their guard,” the governor said. “The summer’s here. Things are opening up. They feel like they can go out without having to wear a face mask.”
Abbott must have forgotten his own role in letting his guard down though. He alone took responsibility for reopening Texas as Scott Braddock noted back in April when the Governor removed the traditional authority centers, county judges and city mayors, from the decision making process.
There has been a steady rise in cases since the state moved into the third phase, Texas saw another new peak Tuesday, reporting 2,622 new cases and 2,518 Texans who have tested positive for the coronavirus are currently hospitalized.
A group of Texas mayors asked Abbott to require face coverings in public. Even with overwhelming scientific data that we are still in the first phase of TexasCOVID, Abbott has refused to require face coverings.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a press release stated he had no desire for an argument with the Govenor or for jailing the non compliant, but “he was “calling on the Governor to either require masks through gubernatorial action or allow local governments to make the decusion for their communities.”
