State Board of Education Brownsville Rep. Ruben Cortez sent a letter to the governor requesting the STAAR exam be canceled by executive order.

The letter to Gov. Abbott also requests Texas National Guard troops be deployed to address school and hospital staffing shortages exacerbated by Covid cases, according to a news release from Cortez’s office.

“The lack of testing combined with staffing shortages has already caused classes to be disrupted or canceled at a time when we cannot afford a return to remote instruction,” the letter stated. “We must also keep our hospitals staffed in order to continue to provide emergency care and to avoid canceling procedures for those with ongoing medical needs.”

The Governor has yet to respond to the letter.

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