Staff Report

Gov. Greg Abbott issued declarations this week regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the reopening of Texas public schools and the resumption of standardized testing.

On Monday, Abbott extended the early voting period by nearly a week, beginning Oct. 13.

Additionally, he said mail-in ballots that arrive as late as Election Day will be counted.

In a separate announcement, Abbott said that he is waiving the grade promotion requirement of STAAR testing for the 2020-2021 school year, which is ty...