PARIS, Texas — As the delta COVID-19 variant rages in Texas, more than 12,000 people are hospitalized with the virus in the state and the governor remains steadfast in this opposition to mask mandates, a small school district in a small community has seemingly found a way around Gov. Greg Abbott.

Paris ISD on Tuesday night amended its dress code to require masks.

“The Texas Governor does not have the authority to usurp the Board of Trustees’ exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools in the district,” Paris ISD said in a statement.

Paris, Texas, is located in the northeast part of the state, about 98 miles northeast of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. As of  the 2010 census the city had a population of 25,171.

Paris ISD joins a growing number of Texas school districts that have implemented mask mandates despite Gov. Abbott’s executive orders barring them.

Gov. Abbott himself revealed Tuesday he tested positive for COVID-19, though he is fully vaccinated and is asymptomatic. Just prior to the revelation of the diagnosis, Abbott met with a large number of constituents, many of them senior citizens. He was not wearing a mask despite being in close quarters with numerous people. For now, he is in isolation at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin.

“The Board of Trustees is concerned about the health and safety of its students and employees. The Board believes the dress code can be used to mitigate communicable health issues, and therefore has amended the PISD dress code to protect our students and employees,” the statement from Paris ISD reads.

A little less than half of Texas’ population is vaccinated, but despite the wide availability of vaccines they have not been approved for children under 12 years old.

Paris ISD, the largest school district in Lamar Country, has enrollment of nearly 3,900 students.

The full statement made by Paris ISD can be found here.