A teacher outside the Texas Capitol in Austin holds a sign Wednesday during the Mask Up, Line Up teacher protest. Credit: Allie Goulding / Texas Tribune

This article originally appeared in the Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans – and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government, and statewide issues.

Aliyya Swaby started as the Texas Tribune's public education reporter in October 2016. She came to the Tribune from the hyperlocal nonprofit New Haven Independent, where she covered education, zoning,...