Coronavirus Pandemic

To Get Around Governor's Order, Texas School District Adds Masks to Dress Code

The district's school board, which has about 4,000 students, said in a statement Tuesday that the governor's order does not usurp its ability to manage schools

school children wear facemasks Texas
Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images

A small Texas school district has made facial coverings part of its dress code, in a bid to get around Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order banning mask mandates.

The board of the Paris Independent School District, which has about 4,000 students, said in a statement Tuesday that the governor's order does not usurp its ability to manage schools.

"The Board believes the dress code can be used to mitigate communicable health issues, and therefore has amended the PISD dress code to protect our students and employees," the district said.

The move from the school district based in the northeast Texas town of Paris comes as some districts in the state are attempting to require masks amid a COVID-19 surge and despite the governor's order.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here. 

The Texas governor is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and is not experiencing symptoms, Gov. Greg Abbott's communications director said.
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