Below is my statement before the FWISD School Board emergency meeting this morning. In order to accommodate the large number of attendees the comment time was reduced from 3 minutes to 1 minute 30 seconds. These are my unredacted comments:
I thank the Board for the opportunity to speak and wish to extend my thoughts and prayers to you all, as you continue to deliberate important decisions in these extremely difficult times.
As you weigh the future of this semester, I encourage the Board to count the cost. Admittedly, there is a cost to re-opening campuses and also a cost to leaving them closed. This is what makes the decision so difficult. So then, the primary thing I implore you to consider is how you will feel if more lives are lost due to a decision to re-open FWISD schools. How will your administrators feel when it becomes evident that they were unable to assure the safety of their students, faculty, and staff? What is the weight of life upon the conscience?
My Church has been one of many community organizations which have stepped into the breach during COVID-19 crisis. We have partnered with FWISD to deliver food to FWISD students and their families. We will continue to help. Many other communities of faith, organizations, and individuals will also. We have pulled together and will continue to do so.
I encourage the Board to continue the plan for online learning until it is clearly safe to return to in-person instruction. Above all things, community leaders are under the injunction to preserve and protect life. I ask that you as leaders follow this injunction, continue with caution, and work to meet the needs of students as best as able until we can more reasonably assure the safety and well-being of all the lives and futures which are in the balance.
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