On August 25th, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas. This unprecedented storm was labeled the worst disaster in Texas history by FEMA director Brock Long, and the recovery is expected to take many years. It will be several weeks, if not months, before many people return to their homes and begin the process of repairing their homes, filing insurance claims, and sending their children back to school. The physical, mental, and economic hardships born by students in the devastated areas will undoubtedly take a heavy toll on their education throughout the year. As such, state-mandated standardized testing would be an invalid measure of these children's growth and a waste of precious resources in this time of need.

It is with this in mind that we call upon Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Commissioner of Education Morath to place a moratorium on all STAAR testing in ISDs affected by Hurricane Harvey for the 2017-18 school year.