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Attorney General of Texas on School Re-Opening - Updated July 28th: Released by the Press Office of the Attorney General of Texas  7-28-2020

AG Paxton Issues Legal Guidance on School Reopening

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today issued guidance on the opening of local schools for the upcoming school year, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, responding to a request from Stephenville Mayor Doug Svien. While playing an important role in protecting the health of school children and employees, local health authorities may not issue sweeping orders closing schools for the sole purpose of preventing future COVID-19 infections. Rather, their role is limited by statute to addressing specific, actual outbreaks of disease. School officials, both public and private, are the appropriate ones to decide whether, when, and how to open school.  

“Education of our children is an essential Texas value and there is no current statewide order prohibiting any school from opening,” said Attorney General Paxton. “While local health authorities may possess some authority to close schools in limited circumstances, they may not issue blanket orders closing all schools on a purely preventative basis. That decision rightfully remains with school system leaders.”

Read a copy of the letter here.   

Read a copy of the Archdiocesan Press Release on Re-Opening of Catholic Schools 

How Can We Help Our Communities During the Pandemic?

      We all have a role to play in protecting our community from getting and spreading respiratory illnesses like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The safety and wellness of our students is always our highest priority. We want to be vigilant in our efforts to follow the protocols that have been outlined by the CDC and local health officials in our management of the day to day operations of our schools.  While we may be apart, let us remember that we are ONE in our faith and join us in modeling Christian behavior for our children so that they might recognize the inherent worth and dignity of all and understand the importance of caring for our brothers and sisters in our community, especially in times of great need.

Below are some resources that you might find of use during this time.  We encourage you to stay in close contact with your school community and look for updates on our Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Facebook page and on this website.   
 

     FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS  
 

As with many respiratory illnesses such as the cold and flu, healthcare professionals advise that you can take the following measures to minimize your risk. 

o   Stay home if you feel sick.  

o   Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.

o   Cover all coughs and sneezes

o   Disinfect surfaces and objects frequently.

o   Wash hands vigorously for 20 seconds.

o   Use 60–90% alcohol hand sanitizer, until handwashing can be done.

 Emotional & Mental Well-being Resources

  Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Spiritual Resources 

• On-Line Masses & Archdiocesan Recommendations
• Eucharistic Adoration online across the globe
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops - Bible and Daily Readings

Free Counseling Support

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - Trained counselors assist young people and adults with any emotional difficulty 24/7

PHONE            800-273-8255

TEXT                741741

WEBSITE          https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-HelpLine#crisis
 Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress- Trained counselors assist young people and adults with any emotional difficulty 24/7

HELPLINE        800-985-5990

TEXT                66746

TTY                  800-846-8517

WEBSITE          Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Girls and Boys Town National Support- Trained counselors assist young people and their parents with their problems 24/7

HELPINE          800) 448-3000

WEBSITE          https://www.boystown.org/hotline/Pages/default.aspx
 

 School Lunch & School District Updates and Resources

      Texas Dept of Agriculture 
Meal Location Sites -download
http://squaremeals.org/Portals/8/files/H1N1/Coronavirus/Outreach/TDA-Meal_Site_Availability-Parent_Flyer-Final-English_Spanish.pdf

Texas Education Agency School Meal Finder:  https://txschools.gov

Catholic Charities
https://catholiccharities.org/need-help/
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston continues to serve people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic through all of its programs. Food pantries are open for drive-through food distribution with hours each week at our three locations: Guadalupe Center in Houston; Mamie George Community Center in Richmond; Beacon of Hope Center in Galveston. For hours and other assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, call the COVID Assistance Line at 713-874-6521.

Kids Meals Inc. 
To receive free meals for children under age 6, download the flyer and bring it to 330 Garden Oaks Blvd (located in The Heights off of Shepherd and 610 Loop).  The application can also be filled out at the offices. Kids’ Meals delivers free, healthy meals, year-round, M-F to the homes of children under age 6 who live within  43 delivery zip codes. When school is out we include meals for older siblings. Receiving our meals will NOT impact any of your other benefits.
Temporary Meal Support Application 
Flyer  https://kidsmealsinc.org/wp-content/uploads/Client-Flyer-3-14-2020.pdf

Harris County Dept of Education:  www.hcde-texas.org

Common Market

Houston Parks and Recreation Curbside Meal Sites 

For a list of sites sponsored by the Houston Parks and Recreation service, please click here.

Distance Learning Resources for Families:

 BRAINPOP Coronavirus video for children 

 National Association of School Psychology

 Child Mind Institute

 PBS for Parents

 Education Week

 Scholastic K-12 grade level support
 ISTE Technology- Education Coalition Resource 

From our friends at Sadlier publishing:  

For schools who use Sadlier texts... William H. Sadlier, Inc. is committed to ensuring that students always have the right educational materials and resources: 

NEWS links for local, state, nation and world:

Public Health Harris County- LOCAL: http://www.hcphtx.org/Resources/2019-Novel-Coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR1NjiX4cZlqveJ_ZvV9ZXRFrtL1sNjT8AniNAyzYQqmbD-QVXGUb5BLR3s

Texas Department of State Health Services- STATE- https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-NATION: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html

World Health Organization- WORLD: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19