Fort Bend ISD approves mask mandate, some parents say it's not enough

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - About two weeks into the school year at Fort Bend ISD, Tracy Beauchamp still has her 10-year-old daughter, Zyien, at home instead of at Dulles Elementary School.

Beauchamp says her daughter has autism and is immunocompromised.

"I'm not going to risk that. She is my everything. I cannot lose my child to COVID," Beauchamp said getting emotional.

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She says her daughter was twice denied admission into the Virtual Learning Program (VLP) at Fort Bend ISD. Beauchamp says she contacted the principal and administration at Dulles.

"They couldn't understand how Zyien could be denied either," she told FOX 26.

Beauchamp says she was told there were about 5,000 applicants and just over 1,000 admissions.

She hopes the district can implement the same COVID-19 safety plan as last year, including the expanded virtual option.

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The passing of the mask mandate, she feels, does not go far enough to protect her daughter.

In response, Fort Bend ISD tells FOX 26:

"Students with highest eligibility for the Virtual Learning Program were those 11 and younger - who are not eligible for COVID vaccines - and who have medical conditions that could result in higher instances of severe illness from COVID-19 and who have someone in their residence, who is also at higher risk of severe illness from COVID.

Students with second-highest eligibility for the VLP were those 11 and younger - who are not eligible for COVID vaccines- and who have medical conditions that could result in higher instances of severe illness from COVID-19.

Another review of applications considered the siblings of those who are in the above two categories. This resulted in a small number of students who were admitted.

Total admissions to the VLP was just over 1,000 students.

Fort Bend ISD is committed to providing the VLP even in the absence of provisions from the state legislature or Texas Education Agency (TEA) to fund the virtual program. The total cost of FBISD’s VLP is $7.6 million."