Delta variant, lax mask policies delay Plano family’s return to school
![Carmen and Bobby Campbell. Bobby, 8, would be in third grade in Plano ISD, but Carmen is not sending him because of lax masking guidance.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/HRm8Em3He-hV8AEFH-oZJt6yGlc=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e64488f28ca5db0feb93a309fef7aa57/%20Weekend%20Brief%20Carmen%20and%20Bobby%20Campbell%20TT.jpg)
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
The spread of the delta variant — particularly among children in recent months — coupled with the governor’s now-defunct order forbidding mask mandates, upended a lot of parents’ plans for the school year.
For Carmen Campbell, a rheumatologist in Plano, it meant keeping her son, Bobby, home for at least the start of third grade. But not everyone feels that way.
Mask mandates have divided parents in districts across the state who, like Gov. Greg Abbott, say the path forward in the pandemic relies on personal responsibility rather than government overreach.
Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
Start your day with a quick take on the latest Texas politics and policy news. Follow us on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Amazon Echo or RSS.
Join us Sept. 20-25 at the 2021 Texas Tribune Festival. Tickets are on sale now for this multi-day celebration of big, bold ideas about politics, public policy and the day’s news, curated by The Texas Tribune’s award-winning journalists. Learn more.
Information about the authors
Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.