Here are the start dates for Houston-area school districts Published: FILE - HOUSTON – Summer is coming to an end as students and teachers prep for the 2021-2022 school year. It will be the first time for many students who will see the inside of a classroom since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. With the rise of COVID-19 cases and the Delta variant in the area, many school districts are placing COVID-19 safety protocols in place. But several districts feel limited to those protocols after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order prohibiting schools from mandating masks. Abbott said that Texas school children will not face mask requirements as they return to school later this summer.