As the school year begins, so do opportunities to speak at Houston ISD board meetings. There are two important items that CVPE will be speaking on at tomorrow’s board meeting (August 12, 2021): an HISD mask mandate and proposed additional funding for Tasers and other items for HISD Police. Can you speak on these items?

The sections in this email are:

• Support of the Mask Mandate
• Opposition to Additional Police Funding for Tasers, Other Items
• How to Speak at a Board Meeting

The Mask Mandate is Agenda Item A-3. CVPE supports this item. Can you sign up to speak? 

Superintendent House will put a mask mandate up for a vote at this Thursday’sboard meeting. CVPE supports the mask mandate. This measure will ensure the safety of students, teachers, and the community at-large from the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19. Reports of children being hospitalized with COVID-related illness are a real threat to the safety of children and educators. This is a bold step - in defiance of Governor Abbott - that will help keep our schools healthy enough places to learn. 

Additional funding for tasers and other police funding is Agenda Item I-1a. CVPE opposesthis item. Can you sign up to speak? 

CVPE will be taking a stand against the proposal of almost $1 million in additional funding for Houston ISD Police. The department requested this money be used for the purchase of additional body-worn cameras, law enforcement software, and Tasers. This request is not aligned with CVPE’s reimagining school safety campaign. Regarding this item, we believe that:

1. Tasers should not be used on students of any age due to their potentially harmful health effects as well as their tendency to escalate - rather than deescalate - a situation; and
2. Because there has been no public confirmation that significant policy change regarding policing in schools has or will occur in response to demands made by our and other organizations last year, extra funding to this department shows a lack of accountability on the part of HISD. 

How To Speak at the Board Meeting: Please use this link to see instructions regarding how to speak at a board meeting. Note that-

1. This will be an in-person meeting. No virtual testimony options are provided.
2. The deadline to sign up to speak is 9:30 am on Thursday morning.
3. Use this link to sign up to speak to an agenda item. Here is the same link in Spanish. 
4. Sign up to speak to agenda item A-3 and/or I.1a.  Speakers for specific agenda items have their time allocated at the BEGINNING of the meeting. If you fill out the “Hearing of the Community” form, you will have to wait until the end of the meeting to speak. If you need help signing up or preparing for your testimony, email [email protected]

We hope that you attend and fight for CVPE’s values in Houston ISD!