PLANO ISD BOARD BACKS MASK MANDATE | Photo credit: Dallas Morning News | Parents Speak Out For Wearing Masks in Schools | |
In a packed emergency Plano ISD board meeting this week, local parents and healthcare professionals overcame objections by a vocal minority and supported wearing masks in schools. Common sense prevailed and masks will now be required inside Plano schools.
Plano ISD’s mask mandate begins today (Thursday) and continues until September 24 -- or until there’s movement in the ongoing legal battles between local governments and Governor Greg Abbott, who issued an executive order banning mask mandates despite the precipitous rise in COVID-19 cases in Texas as school begins. Read more about the Plano ISD meeting here.
Collin County Democratic Party Executive Director Deborah O'Reilly emailed a letter to Democrats over the weekend urging them to write school board trustees in Collin County districts and show up at school board meetings to respectfully but forcefully request that trustees protect their kids. Mask mandates are still on the table in other districts. To contact school trustees in your district to voice support for mask mandates in schools, O'Reilly recommends writing trustees or attending board meetings. See contacts below.
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2021 ANN RICHARDS DINNER CHAIR ANNOUNCED | |
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We are privileged to announce Mr. Dale Long as the honorary chair of the Ann Richards Dinner and Masquerade Ball on October 16, 2021.
Mr. Long’s story of being a survivor of the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham has been an inspiration to generations of how to turn terror into triumph. A package of dynamite put in place the night before by Ku Klux Klan members killed four girls in the church's basement.
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A compassionate advocate for almost four decades he has been a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters Lone Star and serves on a national task force to recruit volunteers and promote advocacy. Mr. Long received the 1989 National Big Brother of the Year and the 2007 Clifford P. Norman National Award for local board participation from Big Brothers and Sisters of America.
Support The CCDP efforts to reach voters by buying your ticket to the Ann Richards Dinner and Masquerade Ball today! Help STOP voter suppression laws, support local candidates and get Democrats elected up and down the ballot by donating items for our silent auction, too! Contact Vielka Harrison at 469-525-6648 to donate.
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Visit our Ann Richards Dinner web page for details on the food, fun, and sponsorship opportunities! Sponsors will enjoy special perks not available to other attendees. Sponsor package availability is limited, so don't wait!
For the safety of everyone attending, only individuals fully vaccinated for COVID-19 should attend this in-person event.
When: Saturday, October 16, 7-11 p.m.
Where: Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center, 7121 Bishop Rd, Plano
Cost: Individual tickets are $150 per person. Sponsorships are also available.
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A QUORUM AGAIN! GOP RENEWS VOTER SUPPRESSION PUSH | |
On Monday, Texas State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin (left) and Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, hear testimony concerning the election bill at the Texas State Capitol. (Photo Credit: Associated Press) | |
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After a roughly six-week impasse, official business of the second special session is finally underway in the Texas House — and Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda, including the GOP voting bill, is moving forward.
But it’s unclear what the Legislature will be able to accomplish with just two weeks left on the 30-day clock. Key legislative deadlines are coming. Member relationships are frayed. And while lawmakers decisively restored a quorum Monday, the Democratic caucus is fractured and some members are warning the quorum could be fragile.
Monday marked the most Democrats to be seen on the House floor since July when more than 50 members left the state for Washington, D.C., to block the GOP’s voting bill. However, many of those Democrats didn’t show up until after a quorum was officially established.
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TURNING COLLIN BLUE IN '22 | |
The REGISTER COLLIN campaign continues in Plano this weekend to canvass for new voters!
Sign up below for dates on Saturday, August 28, and Sunday, August 29. If you're new, we'll train you, and you'll be paired with an experienced canvasser regardless. Come on out and help us flip Collin County #Blue2022! If you'd rather phone bank, you can do that too! Sign up below.
Learn about the REGISTER COLLIN campaign.
Want to know when we'll be registering voters where you are? Check out the schedule on collindemocrats.org!
Help keep #RegisterCollin teams marching! Click the Blue Donate button below and send a donation to support the team's work.
#Blue2022 #RegisterCollin
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ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR
2022 PRIMARY ELECTION ADMINISTRATOR
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The CCDP is now accepting applications for the position of Primary Election Administrator. This is an exempt, salaried position, part- or full-time, with flexible hours and schedule. The period of employment is currently planned to be November 1, 2021, through March 31, 2022, if there isn't a runoff election, and November 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, if there is a runoff election. The term of employment may be delayed up to two months if the Legislature reschedules the Primary Election from the first Tuesday in March to a later date.
For a detailed job description, desired qualifications, past salary ranges, and how to apply, please contact Mike Rawlins, County Chair, at [email protected].
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Covid Update: We have a new entry in our fun game of what lawsuit is next. Last week, 14 children and their families filed the first federal lawsuit against Greg Abbott and Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath. The suit claims Abbott’s executive order (EO) prohibiting school districts from enforcing mask mandates discriminates against students with disabilities and their rights to public education. If the EO doesn’t go away, I suspect there will be a lot more. Read More
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Collin College: Although the administration tried to keep this quiet (remember, these are the same folks who lost their minds over having a Covid dashboard last year), the college’s dean of nursing, Jane Leach, just died from Covid. We don’t know if she had an underlying health condition, was vaccinated, or had a breakthrough infection. Supposedly, her family asked that her untimely death not be politicized.
That’s not going to happen. As former Collin College history professor Lora Burnett pointed out, “It’s because of politics that vaccination has been turned into a political issue rather than a health issue. And because of that, people aren’t getting vaccinated and COVID is spreading, and the delta variant is spreading.” So true. It’s why a Collin student also recently died. Read More
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Frisco City Council: The council has a subcommittee determining what to do about their ethics code. Council members have wrestled with multiple ethics complaints over the last year. Martin Woodward charged Mayor Jeff Cheney and council members John Keating, Brian Livingston and Dan Stricklin with threatening public health after they failed to wear face masks and maintain social distance during public gatherings. Even though he was right, the other council members voted to dismiss it. They later handled complaints from Sarah Rouse against Cheney for hosting an underage keg party and against Keating for inappropriate conduct in a social media photo. These also were dismissed.
In 2000, city attorney Richard Abernathy advised against having a code of ethics since there are already consequences for bad or criminal behavior. He naively said bad behavior leads to that person not being re-elected. If only that were true! Read More
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45TH ANANAD BAZAAR CELEBRATES
75 YEARS OF INDIA'S INDEPENDENCE
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CCDP will participate in this years' India Association of North Texas (IANT) Anand Bazaar on September18. Please consider volunteering for a shift or just stop by our booth and say "hello!"
Enjoy this free event with free parking and celebrate the diversity of Collin County while supporting our local Indian Community.
When: Saturday, September 18, 4-10 p.m.
Where: Simpson Plaza, Frisco Square, 6101 Frisco Square Blvd, Frisco, TX
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2021 NORTH TEXAS PRIDE "COME AS YOU ARE" FESTIVAL | |
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This is the 11th annual festival, bringing the community together to celebrate pride in diversity.
There will be sponsor/vendor booths, food/beverages, give-a-ways, donations to a partnering non-profit & adult and kid activities, bands, DJ, dancing & a ton of entertainment for all ages. Come join us for a family-oriented day of fun and get to know others like yourself.
Be sure to visit the Collin County Democratic Party Booth for Voter Registration and Information.
When: Saturday, September 25, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Where: Saigling House (ArtCentre of Plano), 902 E. 16th St, Plano
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The CCDP physical office is closed until further notice for safety. Our office staff are, however, working for you from home and available by telephone at 972-578-1483 or contact us on the web at collindemocrats.org.
Check our Online Events!
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Collin County Democratic Party (CCDP) | 972-578-1483 | www.collindemocrats.org © 2021
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