Texas was one of the hardest-hit states in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic — with over 86,000 deaths, the second-highest total in the nation. The pandemic devastated communities, upended learning, and left deep, lasting challenges for Texas students.

Now, over $1 billion in federal COVID school aid — funding specifically meant to help students recover — is being blocked by the Department of Education.

Sixteen other states have already taken action - Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, D.C. - filing suit to stop this harmful policy and protect their schools.

But Texas is still silent. You need to speak up.

We call on Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Education Agency, and state leaders to publicly demand that the U.S. Department of Education release all unspent COVID relief funds for schools.

Join other states in pressuring the federal government to honor its commitment to students and educators.

Recognize the scale of Texas’s loss — and fight for the funding needed to help schools close the COVID learning gap.

This money was promised. It was budgeted. And it’s needed now more than ever in classrooms across Texas.