Senate Bill 15 has passed the House. Though I voted for this bill, it's not the right tool to fund virtual learning in emergency situations. It limits virtual learners to less than 10% of a school's population and requires that all virtual learners take the STAAR test.
The governor and Texas Education Agency should have provided a fully funded virtual option months ago when schools had time to prepare and stand up programs. This bill is too little too late.
The best scenario is for students to be in the classroom w/ strong safety protocols. But given the rise of pediatric hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and the governor's efforts to block universal mask-wearing, I felt that this bill was the only option left to protect our kids.
I sincerely hope the emergency provisions in this bill do not open the door to long term virtual education options or increased privatization of our schools, which would have lasting and damaging effects on our public education system.
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