Teachers speak out against returning to campus
Austin area teachers say they’re not really happy with Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott. Speaking on behalf of the group Stronger Together ATX, Diana Haggerty relays to the doctor some of the ire he’s earned from some teachers going back to the classroom.
“When Dr. Escott said it was up to teachers to purchase their own N-95 mask and he assumed they were easily available, I had to take a break,” says Haggerty.
However, Dr. Escott clarifies his statement.
“I didn’t recommend that teachers buy their own equipment. I said, if they are high risk, it’s recommended that they consider having higher grade PPE,” says Escott.
He adds that no one is being forced back onto campus, but some teachers argue that’s not true.
A lot of Texas teacher groups continue to fight against return-to-campus plans, even as some local health authorities, like Dr. Escott, have been giving the all clear for districts to do so. Clay Robison, with the Texas State Teachers Association,
“It’s still not safe in many states, including Texas, for teachers and students to be in those classrooms.” says Clay Robison with the Texas State Teachers Association.
The federal government is distributing million’s of rapid tests and President Trump believes they will be great tools for schools. Critics, including Robison, claim that those tests provide too many false negatives.
The Manor School District is discussing it’s plan for returning to campuses. Even though some kids have been returning since last month, the district’s Shawna Clouser says all students will be allowed to return on October 19th if they choose.
“Conditions in the community and on each campus will be monitored continuously, and safety guidelines will be strictly enforced,” says Clouser.
Masks will be required, desks will be kept six feet apart and kids will still have the option to do 100% virtual. However, a decision has to be made by tomorrow’s deadline.
COVID-19 update
Five fewer people are hospitalized in Travis County than the same time a day ago. Right now, 73 coronavirus cases involve hospitalization. Of those, 18 are in the ICU, and seven are on a ventilator. 640 cases are considered to be active out of the 29,421 that have been confirmed. There have also been 28,355 recoveries
In Williamson County, six more people have been hospitalized in the past day. But even with that increase, the overall hospitalization total is at 11. The county has flagged 8,642 cases since March. Of those, only 131 are considered to be active. 8,369 are recoveries.
Project Connect
Austin City Council members are pushing back against some claims of a near 25% tax hike if voters approved the $7.1 billion Project Connect proposal in November.
“The median value home is $326,000, if I have that correctly. It comes out to about 78 cents a day, so that’s the correct amount. It is not 25%,” says council member Ann Kitchen.
Other city leaders say it would cost a lot more in the long run to do nothing and they say the city should have done something a lot sooner.
Travis County leaders were expected to take a public stance on Austin’s Project Connect proposal this week, but that hasn’t happened. Commissioner Gerald Daugherty who added the item to this week’s agenda, says they’ve had to postpone it.
“You know, we have some legal matters as to why this has been couched and I will be working with legal and we will try to bring it back at some point in time if we could get that worked out,” says Daugherty.
That issue is whether the agenda item violates Texas Election Code, which bars governments from using taxpayer dollars on political advertising. Daugherty has been very vocal about his opposition and there was some expectation that the Travis County Commissioner’s Court could publicly vote against Austin’s plan.
Less patrols in downtown Austin
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley has removed two 24-hour patrols around Seventh Street and Red River. They increased following a wave of shootings in downtown last year. Council member Kathy Tovo tells CBS Austin she thinks the area still needs a police presence.
“You do see, you know, acts of real violence in our downtown area. I think that is due in part to some of our really lax gun regulation,” says Tovo.
Data from the Downtown Austin Alliance shows a big drop in crime between October and August, but much of that is thought to be tied to pandemic shutdowns.
Williamson County commissioners have met up this week, but no mention of Sheriff Robert Chody and his indictment has been made by the court. He is accused of tampering with evidence in the death of Javier Ambler. While county leaders are staying silent for now, earlier in the summer, multiple commissioners did call on Chody to resign when Ambler’s death first became public.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-9-30-20
