Best Southwest Joint Statement on Masks

Best Southwest Joint Statement on Masks
Posted on 08/11/2021
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As we each experience and plan for the first days of the 2021-2022 academic school year, we wish we could tell you that our state and region were turning the corner and moving past the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Sadly, that is not the reality we live in at this point in time.

As members of the Best Southwest School Districts, we support Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ emergency order requiring masks for public schools, based on the Texas Disaster Act. Although we are four independent school districts, our families and communities regularly engage and interact with one another. One community’s health and well-being are interdependent with the neighboring communities. We believe this emergency order aligns with our efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within our districts and close-knit communities.

Judge Clay Jenkins has provided courageous leadership throughout a pandemic that has been difficult to navigate and ever-evolving. We thank him for his continued support of our schools and communities. Our districts will review our COVID safety plans and make changes that reflect the current order that states Dallas County public schools will be required to implement a mask mandate that will go into effect at 11:59 pm on Wednesday, August 11, 2021.

We thank our communities for doing their best to lessen the spread of COVID-19. We are confident by making health and science-based decisions together, we will emerge from the latest chapter of the pandemic safely.

Sincerely,

 Dr. Gerald B. Hudson, Superintendent Cedar Hill ISD

Dr. D’Andre Weaver, Superintendent DeSoto ISD

Dr. Marc Smith, Superintendent Duncanville ISD

Dr. A. Katrise Perera, Superintendent Lancaster ISD