A letter sent by the Round Rock school district last week addressing concerns over the coronavirus affecting the Austin Chinese Culture Festival received backlash from community members and elected officials.
Now the district and festival organizers are explaining the intent behind the message.
The letter signed by Superintendent Steve Flores stated the district had received questions and concerns over the potential spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, at the festival held Saturday at Westwood High School. It said after consulting with health officials, the district decided against canceling the festival, as the likelihood of contracting the virus in Texas remains low.
The letter also provided some general health tips, addressed other measures the district is taking to monitor the coronavirus, and stated Westwood High would be thoroughly cleaned after the event.
The online backlash was swift. Several community members said they were offended by the letter. Others called it racist.
Austin City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan wrote on Facebook, “I was disheartened to see the statement put out by RRISD this morning … Let us not escalate public concern when there is no reason to … the notion that a high school with a large Asian student population would be less safe tomorrow than any other day is problematic at best.”
Gene Wu, a Houston-area Texas House Representative, shared the letter on Twitter with the caption, “WTF Round Rock?”
Albert Lin, who was among a few Asian-American students who graduated from Westwood High in 1985, said he was disappointed when he saw the announcement. He said he was also surprised the superintendent would send a statement like that now that the district is more diverse.
“Imagine how you would feel if RRISD told everyone it would clean and disinfect the school after you and your family came for the party,” Lin said.
Hugh Li, the spokesperson for the Austin Chinese Culture Festival and a board member of the Austin Chinese-American Network, said that was not the intent behind the letter.
He said the district approached the network prior to sending the message and informed them of the pressure they were receiving from the community.
Li said many of the messages came from the Asian-American community and that the network had discussed similar concerns prior to the event. Many Chinese-Americans have family and friends in China who are dealing with the coronavirus, he said.
He added that the Asian-American community in Austin has been focused on gathering supplies and money to help people in Wuhan and other hard-hit areas.
“They are really in the storm,” Li said. “Even though we are thousands of miles away, they put themselves in the storm. They feel it a lot more than others might.”
He said many of the people reaching out to the district with concerns were not overreacting, but just coming from a different perspective where the coronavirus is a serious threat.
Li said the network felt the festival would be safe based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local organizations like the Williamson County and Cities Health District.
District communications director Jenny LaCoste-Caputo confirmed the district received a significant amount of concern from parents, many of whom identified as Asian-American.
“In our communication, we attempted to address every concern raised by parents, as well as bring up the point that we are more focused on respiratory illnesses such as the flu,” she said in a statement. “In attempting to do the right thing and not bow to pressure to cancel the festival, we inadvertently offended some people and for that, we are deeply sorry.”
Li said he is glad the district went forward with the event, as it garnered a large crowd of dozens of high school students and community organizations.
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