Texas State Senator José Menéndez to Governor Greg Abbott and TEA Commissioner Mike Morath calling for the cancelation of the STAAR test during the COVID-19 Omicron surge. Our schools are facing a crisis during this COVID-19 omicron surge as it continues to drive record number of infections around our state. This surge is worsening the already unprecedented staffing issues in our schools, as we are seeing school districts close due to staffing shortages and in some cases, students to keep them open. To make matters worse, we have many teachers and students dealing with mental health emergencies. As this catastrophe continues, these students are still expected to take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test over the next few months, with scores that could potentially harm both the student and the school. Given the dire circumstances currently facing our education system, I am requesting you take all necessary action to cancel the administration of the STAAR test for the current academic year.
