You have until Monday, June 15, to register to vote in the July 14 primary runoff election (and a special election if you happen to live in Texas Senate District 14). While you are making your voting plan for the July election, c

• CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Reopening continues, TEA updates resources
• ELECTION UPDATE: Voter registration deadline is June 15
• FEDERAL UPDATE: Checking in with ATPE's DC lobbyist
• SBEC meets for COVID-19 certification considerations
• Study investigates racial bias among teachers

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Phase three to reopen Texas is well underway, with restaurants allowed to expand capacity to 75% starting today. By next Friday, amusement parks and carnivals in counties with more than 1,000 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 may open at 50% capacity. Gov. Greg Abbott spoke with CBS Austin this week and noted that, with cases on the rise, his contingency plan should there be a resurgence will be to first roll back non-essential surgeries and other medical procedures.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) updated quite a few coronavirus-related web resources this week. TEA's closure support and guidance page includes updates on personal protective equipment and other safety guidance for summer school, graduation, and UIL. Information on residential programs has been updated on the special education page. TEA also provided an updated COVID-19 waivers document.

Changes were also announced this week that will impact educator certification candidates who are beginning internship requirements but have not taken their test and candidates who are required to complete otherwise face-to-face educator preparation program (EPP) requirements in the 2020-21 school year. Specifically, eligible candidates who are beginning internships will be able to obtain an intern certificate upon recommendation of their EPP, without having to meet testing requirements first. (Fingerprinting requirements remain in place.) This is similar to a previous waiver that allowed certification candidates who had completed all EPP requirements except their test to obtain a probationary certificate. Candidates who would otherwise be expected to complete face-to-face requirements such as clinical teaching will be able to meet these in a virtual setting. Read more here and find more information below about similar developments at the State Board for Educator Certification this week.

As always, ATPE's Coronavirus FAQ and Resources page is being frequently updated with the latest information on COVID-19 issues for educators.

ELECTION UPDATE: It's almost election time again! The deadline to register to vote in the July 14 runoff election (and a Texas Senate District 14 special election happening the same day) is Monday, June 15, 2020. For more on registration and why this election is important, check out this week's blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Mark Wiggins.

Make sure you're registered and learn what's on your ballot here. View candidate profiles, including their ATPE survey responses and voting records, on Teach the Vote here. If you feel you meet the eligibility criteria to vote by mail, your application for a mail-in ballot must be received by your local election administration (not postmarked) no later than July 2. Find additional information about voter registration from the League of Women Voters here, plus get election reminders and other resources from the Texas Educators Vote coalition here. Early voting begins June 29!

FEDERAL UPDATE: Facing the unprecedented threat of the deadly novel coronavirus, Congress entered the spring of 2020 with what has become an extremely rare sense of bipartisan purpose, passing four large legislative packages to provide funding for hospitals and health care workers fighting the virus, as well as for businesses and individuals affected by the closures and stay-at-home orders implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The federal CARES Act provided $30 billion for the U.S. Department of Education, including $13.5 billion for elementary and secondary education formula funding to be provided directly to states.

David Pore

ATPE has been tirelessly lobbying Congress to enact laws and policies that protect your ability to effectively educate students and retire with financial security. That includes fighting to repeal the arbitrary Social Security offsets that unfairly reduce the retirement benefits of educators. Read more about how ATPE is advocating for you in Washington, D.C. in this update from ATPE's federal lobbyist, David Pore, as published in the ATPE News Summer 2020 edition.

The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) held a special meeting this week to consider a new rule that will allow more flexibility for educator certification candidates undergoing face-to-face requirements such as internships, field experiences, clinical experiences, practicums, and observations. The changes will be limited to the 2020-21 school year and will allow for at least partial completion of these requirements in a virtual setting. Read more about yesterday's SBEC meeting and the proposed rule language in this blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Andrea Chevalier.

A recent study by researchers at Princeton and Tufts Universities finds that "teachers are people too," when it comes to racial biases. In the peer-reviewed study published in the prestigious journal Educational Researcher in April 2020, the authors found that teachers, while surely well-intentioned, are no different in their levels of implicit and explicit biases from non-teachers of the same race, level of education, age, gender, and political affiliation. This finding highlights the need for training and supports to help teachers work toward recognizing and combating biases that may negatively impact students. The study authors also point out that due to the progress we must make with respect to teacher racial bias, schools are not likely to be the great societal equalizers that so many conclude they are. Read more about the study here.