March 13, 2020: Governor Abbott issued a proclamation certifying that COVID-19 posed an imminent threat of disaster in the state and declaring a state of disaster for all counties in Texas.

March 16, 2020: the Governor waived the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) testing requirements for the 2019-2020 school year and ordered all schools temporarily closed on March 19, 2020. As a result, TEA labeled all districts and campuses Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster for the 2019-2020 school year. Because student performance is a key indicator in the state accreditation system, the TEA will suspend the assignment of accreditation statuses until the 2021-2022 school year under the authority of amended 19 TAC §97.1055. The amended rule, which became effective on February 24, 2020, may be viewed at Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 2. For purposes of determining multiple years of academically unacceptable or insufficient performance, the academic accountability ratings issued for the 2018-2019 school year and the 2020-2021 school year are consecutive. 19 TAC §97.1055(a)(9) (effective February 24, 2021). In addition, the accreditation statuses issued for the 2019-2020 school year and for the 2021-2022 school year are consecutive. 19 TAC §97.1055(a)(11) (effective February 24, 2021).