Texas (KXXV) – It has been five years since Governor Abbott issued his Covid-19 disaster declaration.
We know that it affected the children in the school system, but how did we rebound and what changed forever?
Lauren Adams spoke with members of the Texas State Board of Education. She says some things have returned to their previous states, while others are still ongoing work.
On April 17, 2020, Governor Abbott closed the school for the rest of the year.
When schools began in September, half of the state schools were in person, and by the end of 2021, most were in person.
State Board of Education member Rebecca Bell Metreau remembers how it affected the education system when the pandemic hit five years ago.
“When Covid was hit and I told you to teach on Zoom, I wasn’t the only one. Most people weren’t Zooming so I had to learn on the spot,” Bell-Metereau said.
She said that while Texas classes have returned to perfect in-classroom learning, some teachers still use Zoom.
She said, “We don’t use remote learning, but if the students are sick, they can often be remote to the class,” Bermetello said.
Due to the pandemic, campuses cleaned their top priorities, Covid wiped surfaces, even if they were in the air, and used hand sanitizer.
That cleanliness remains today.
“All schools are clean, which is a good reason to have other illnesses and allergies,” Bell-Metereau said.
The pandemic has had a negative impact on Texas’ reading and mathematics skills.
Bell Metrow told Lauren Adams that they are still back at better results.
She said, “They’re putting an edge in some areas and some schools, but they still don’t get as much as we need.”
Governor Abbott issued a series of executive orders on masks during Covid.
Since June 2021, there has been no need to wear a mask on campus.
Bell-Metereau also said she rarely sees students in large groups anymore, and feels that it is the impact of the pandemic and social isolation that many people experienced that year.
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