Houston educators and community groups released comprehensive recommendations today for reopening Houston public schools in the absence of adequate guidelines from the state or the Houston Independent School District, saying they won’t sacrifice the health and safety of any student or school employee just for the sake of reopening school buildings.

The group said the Houston ISD should begin the school year with virtual instruction unless there has been a demonstrated decline in new COVID-19 cases for at least 14 consecutive days in the Houston community; a positive test rate of less than 5 percent, a transmission rate of under 1.0 percent; and testing, contract tracing and isolation capacity in each public health jurisdiction. Also, there must be a robust public health infrastructure from the state, county and local health departments to provide support to school districts for effective disease surveillance, tracing and isolation protocols for those who are infected or quarantined.

A virtual learning plan, according to the recommendations, provides the lowest risk but is far from equitable. The group called for significant additional supports for vulnerable student populations and funding for additional staff.

“It is the height of hubris that the governor is more focused on opening the economy than on the health and well-being of our children and the people who educate them,” the guidelines said.

“We won’t be bullied into reopening schools prematurely and dangerously,” said Andy Dewey, executive vice president of the Houston Federation of Teachers. “We’re not willing to sacrifice the health of anyone who enters our schools and the people they have contact with after school.”

Wretha Thomas, president of the Houston Educational Support Personnel, said custodians, bus drivers and other school workers need the right resources to keep schools safe and to stay safe themselves.

“Every school must have sufficient and appropriate cleaning materials, other PPE and mandated safe distancing. Let’s not forget: Schools don’t just have young people but also adult workers who are at great risk of acquiring the virus. Everyone needs to be safe in schools and on school buses,” Thomas said.

The HFT, the HESP, other unions and parent and community partners collaborated on a set of reopening guidelines, contending the state and HISD’s plan was “unacceptably vague and hardly adequate. Educators, support staff and families want to return to school, but we fear reopening too soon,” Dewey said.

The plan outlines criteria for reopening school buildings:

No plan to open should be developed without key stakeholders, such as youth, families, educators, workers, union leaders and community partners.

Schools must maintain strict physical distancing (such as requiring virtual learning) until the number of new cases declines for at least 14 consecutive days, the positivity test rate is less than 5 percent and the transmission rate is less than 1.0 in Harris County.

Local governments and the school district must collaborate to provide the infrastructure and resources to test, trace and isolate new cases.

School plans should be consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for daily sanitation, disinfection and physical distancing.

Provide a massive investment in our public schools, including a nurse in every school; more custodians, counselors and mental health professionals; and expanded staffing to reduce class sizes, in line with CDC guidelines.

Schools must reopen only as a part of a racially just recovery.

No standardized testing; teachers will assess their own students.

Professional development for educators to include social-emotional learning for COVID-19-related issues and other issues, and teacher training to improve and personalize online curriculum.

Any virtual learning plan must include significant additional support for vulnerable student populations and funding for additional staff, including free universal access to the internet, computers or other digital devices for all public school families, personalized tutors and mentors for historically disenfranchised and vulnerable students, providing physical space at school (or other locations) for homeless students and those with challenging home environments, and, if possible, face-to-face small-group early childhood instruction (instead of virtual).

After 14 days of declining COVID-19 cases in Harris County, the positivity rate is less than 5 percent and there is a functional test, trace and isolate program in Harris County, the school district should implement a phased reopening, developed with appropriate public health officials.

Families should be allowed to choose their preference, either in-person or virtual instruction.

The virtual instruction “runway” period must extend through the fall or until the community thinks it is safe to return.

Priority should be given for in-school instruction to special education students and those who live in poverty or are homeless.

Schedules should be staggered for beginning and ending school days as well as while passing in hallways between periods and lunch times.

More teachers and tutors will be needed to implement staggered schedules with smaller class sizes.

Provide a nurse in every school and more custodians, counselors and mental health professionals. Also, establish a mobile health clinic with testing capacity at every school or school hub, available to family and community members.

The recommendations also list safety and physical distancing musts, including reconfiguring schools and classrooms to allow six feet between students, increasing the number of bus routes to ensure physical distancing, frequent cleaning and disinfecting school and school bus surfaces, installing modern HVAC systems and HEPA filters in schools, adhering to CDC guidelines for regular screening, and expanding the nurse and custodial staff budgets.

The plan also said an adequate response to the crisis requires a fundamental change in the approach to teaching and learning. This includes suspending state and district high-stakes testing and assessments for the 2020-21 school year; suspending teacher and staff evaluations; supporting culturally relevant curriculum and trauma-informed practices; and ensuring that school reopening plans are inclusive and equitable.

Claudia de Leon, a parent with Community Voices for Public Education, said the plan also includes important points to create a “new and better normal.”

“We can’t return to the pre-COVID-19 status quo that failed too many students, their families and educators. We need to help struggling students with basic needs,” de Leon said. These include expanding community schools and wraparound services; addressing systemic issues that impact education such as mortgage and rent cancellation, school-based community food programs, universal Wi-Fi access and a more robust public health infrastructure.

Hany Khalil, executive director of the Texas Gulf Coast Labor Federation, said the reopening plan was informed by input from members of various unions who work in the schools, including the American Federation of Teachers, SEIU and the Plumbers Local Union.

“Decisions about reopening Houston schools must include the wisdom of all those directly impacted. Student and worker safety must be the top priority. We have only one chance to get it right. If we get it wrong, it can have disastrous consequences,” Khalil said.