Daily temperature checks and supervised hand-washing are some of the safety rules for schools that decide to hold in-person classes this summer, under new guidance from the Texas Education Agency.
Aliyya Swaby
Aliyya Swaby was the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where she worked from 2016 to 2021. Previously she worked at the hyperlocal nonprofit New Haven Independent, where she covered education, zoning and transit for two years. After graduating from Yale University in 2013, she spent a year freelance reporting in Panama on social issues affecting black Panamanian communities. She was an Education Writers Association finalist in 2017 for beat reporting and a Livingston Awards finalist in 2019 for a series on school desegregation.
Opening up child care, camps helps working parents, but risks remain
Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to reopen child care centers and youth camps takes pressure off parents, but safety guidelines may be unaffordable for some providers.
Texas outlines guidelines to allow socially distant graduations to resume
School districts can keep their ceremonies virtual, celebrate seniors while they drive in a procession, knit pictures of individual seniors into a graduation video or host a socially distanced outdoor ceremony, said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath.
“Between 0 and 100%”: Texas schools weigh the odds of students returning this fall
It’s way too early to know how COVID-19 cases will trend over the next few months, but school leaders are trying to draw up preliminary plans for bringing students back to classrooms.
In Houston’s Chinatown, restaurants plan to feed front-line workers during the pandemic
Restaurant owners aim to give 10,000 meals to frontline workers. A boy with cancer wants a mohawk. An East Texas town prepares to reopen some businesses. In this weekly series, Texans from across the state share stories about how they’re navigating life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Texas sending restaurant and retail employees back to work without child care
Restaurant, retail and movie theater workers may be called back to work as soon as Friday. But licensed child care remains open only for children of “essential” workers.
Gov. Greg Abbott keeps Texas classrooms closed for remainder of school year
Doctors and health experts say it isn’t safe to let students go back to their schools, the governor said at a news conference announcing executive orders intended to slowly reopen the Texas economy.
“They’re proud of me”: With a mask and a passion to help, lawyer keeps working in Mexican border city
An El Paso lawyer helps migrants in Juรกrez. A student struggles to focus while studying at home. A food pantry worker searches for a familiar face. In this weekly series, Texans from across the state share stories about how they’re navigating life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Texas school closings fray the personal bonds between teachers and students
Karen Sams and Michelle Sandoval, both 2020 Texas Teachers of the Year, know how important it is to see their students in the classrooms and hallways. Without that contact, they fear some are slipping away.
After a beloved principal’s death, Waco middle school community grieves apart
Phillip Perry was the leader many believed would rescue a troubled Waco middle school and help its students soar. Two weeks after his death from the coronavirus, students and teachers learn the added pain of mourning during a pandemic.



