Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Coppell ISD accusing administrators of encouraging staff to continue teaching critical race theory (CRT), the Texas Attorney General's office announced Wednesday. According to the Attorney General's Office, a recently published video showed Evan Whitfield, director of curriculum and instruction for Coppell ISD, discussing how the district has maneuvered the change in instruction. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued leaders of the Coppell Independent School District for allegedly flouting state restrictions on teaching “critical race theory” in public schools, based on an undercover video published by a conservative activist group. In the lawsuit filed last week in Dallas County, Paxton’s office accused Coppell ISD administrators of violating a state law that, among other prescriptions, prohibits schools from teaching that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another” or requiring students to understand the New York Times’ 1619 Project, a Pulitzer Prize-winning report that examined U.S. history from the date when enslaved people first arrived to America. view article

The former Houston Independent School District chief operating officer accused in a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme wrote on a yellow legal pad Wednesday morning in federal court as his attorneys argued with prosecutors about what evidence should be admitted in his upcoming trial. Jury selection for the case against former HISD COO Brian Busby and his alleged co-conspirator, Anthony Hutchinson, is set to begin on Monday. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Coppell ISD, accusing them of illegally teaching critical race theory (CRT). The Attorney General's Office said the lawsuit was filed after a video was published reportedly showing Coppell ISD's Director of Curriculum and Instruction talking about how the district had "gotten around" state prohibitions against the use of CRT "by saying we're not teaching [CRT]." view article

A 60-year-old Ropes ISD employee was arrested last week after reportedly admitting to sending inappropriate text messages to a 14-year-old girl he was tutoring to play the saxophone. Scott Strobel was booked March 14 into the Lubbock County Detention Center on a count of child grooming. view article

During a Crime Stoppers news conference Tuesday, we learned a 16-year-old Spring Branch Independent School District student was attempting to make explosives last month. Spring Branch ISD Police Chief Larry Baimbridge said on Feb. 27, Spring Branch ISD High School received a tip from Crime Stoppers regarding a student who was attempting to make explosives. Officers immediately located the student, took him out of class and interviewed him. view article

A discussion about Texas' controversial Bible-infused curriculum got so heated Monday night that police removed a woman who flipped off a Fort Bend ISD trustee and called him a fascist. The uproar over whether the Fort Bend ISD should review a sample of the Texas Education Agency's Bluebonnet materials interrupted the meeting in Sugar Land, forcing officers to ask the public to leave so they could escort the woman off the premises. view article

A Foster Middle School student was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly bringing a weapon to campus. According to the release from Longview ISD, school officials received reports of a photo that showed the student in a school restroom with a gun. They said the photo was linked to a Monday night incident during an after-school activity. view article

The Texas Education Agency’s Educator Investigations Division began reviewing former La Joya ISD Rut Damaris Kazmierczak’s Texas educator certificate Friday after the Progress Times published a story about allegations that she’d inappropriately messaged a former student in 2023. view article

The Ropes Independent School District said an employee was arrested for Child Grooming after being accused of having inappropriate contact with a minor who is not a student at the school. Public records obtained by EverythingLubbock.com showed Scott David Strobel, 60, was arrested by the Wolfforth Police Department on March 15. view article

The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights named the University of North Texas among the universities it is investigating for “race-exclusionary practices” in their graduate programs view article

A Laredo ISD police officer has been arrested on a domestic violence allegation, according to Laredo police. A woman stated that a relative had assaulted her and that she wanted to press charges. view article

Carl Innmon, a fifth-grade teacher at Baranoff Elementary, is facing two new charges that the school's principal says are stemming from AI-generated materials made from photos of students in his own classroom. view article

Adrian Buruata, a former assistant football and baseball coach at Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, has been charged with child sexual contact and an improper relationship between an educator and a student, according to the Hill County Sheriff's Office. Authorities allege that Buruata engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old student during the 2023-2024 school year. view article

A former officer with the Atlanta Independent School District Police Department pleaded his case at a special Board of Trustee meeting, arguing that he was made into a scapegoat and wrongfully terminated. Hardy Sheppard said he was fired from his position at Atlanta ISD last year following the arrest and conviction of a former coach at the school, Taureaus Maxwell, for indecency with a child. view article

A former Itasca ISD faculty member arrested for an alleged improper relationship between an educator and student. Adrian Buruato, 29, is charged with indecency with a child-sexual contact and improper relationship between an educator and student. view article

Former Itasca ISD Head Baseball Coach Adrian Buruato was arrested on Wednesday, March 12, by the Hill County Sheriff's Office following an investigation into allegations of sexual assault involving a female student, Itasca ISD said. On Monday, March 10, Itasca ISD personnel and the Itasca ISD School Resource Officer (SRO) from the Hill County Sheriff's Office received a complaint from the student. According to Itasca ISD, the alleged assault happened while Buruato was employed by Itasca ISD. view article

A Fort Worth ISD employee was arrested Wednesday for having an improper relationship with a student while working at Itasca ISD as a head baseball coach and junior high history teacher, authorities said. According to a news release from the Hill County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), on Monday, March 10, they received a complaint of an improper relationship between Adrian Buruato, 29, and an Itasca ISD student, who was 15 years old at the time, during the 2023-2024 school year. view article

Abilene ISD joined 200 other school districts in a lawsuit against social media giants such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. They allege that the effects of social media in the classroom are detrimental. According to the US Courts, the lawsuit was first filed by Seattle school districts in 2023, but has since expanded nationwide. Abilene follows fellow Texas school districts in Houston and San Antonio in joining. view article

A roadblock is standing in the way of the Tuloso-Midway school district's plans for a new junior high school — finding the land to build it on. A year and a half ago, Tuloso-Midway Independent School District voters approved a $165 million slate of bond projects. Part of this bond package was a new junior high school. Last month, the school board authorized legal counsel to begin condemnation proceedings to acquire 40 acres on McKinzie Road if the district can't negotiate a sale with landowners. view article

Two North Texas administrators are on leave, and other educators are off the job after video surfaced of adults hitting and swinging at an autistic child in a classroom. The incident happened at Millsap Elementary School in Parker County, west of Fort Worth. The sheriff's office, state education officials and Child Protective Services are now investigating. view article

Abilene ISD officials have decided to join over 200 districts nationwide in a federal lawsuit against media companies, contending they have negatively affected the youth mental health crisis. The AISD School Board met Thursday to recognize student and staff achievements, hear updates on district initiatives and adopt resolutions pertaining to national social media litigation. view article

Victoria ISD has released a statement after a maintenance employee was arrested on multiple child sexual abuse charges Tuesday afternoon. Victoria ISD stated that the district "strictly follows hiring protocols, which include fingerprinting and conducting a criminal background check for every employee prior to hire." view article

A Houston-area school district has partnered with a Texas lawmaker to try to bolster school safety through enhancing communication between law enforcement and school districts. Klein ISD leaders told KHOU 11 they worked with Texas state Rep. Sam Harless to introduce HB 4125 — known as the PROTECT Act (Providing Required Oversight to Educators’ Conduct Transparency). view article

Roy. J Smith Middle School was placed on lockdown Monday afternoon after a 14-year-old student was stabbed and killed earlier in the day, the school district confirmed. “Killeen ISD is deeply saddened to share the tragic news that happened at Roy J. Smith Middle School,” said Karen Rudolph with Killeen ISD. “Our hearts go out to the family, friends and school community as we grieve a heartbreaking loss today.” view article

A trio of Fort Worth City Council members has spurred a movement to get clarification on a possible Keller ISD split. Council members Charlie Lauersdorf [District 4], Alan Blaylock [District 10] and Macy Hill [District 7] have been proponents against a possible split. They have gotten the city involved in questioning the legality of the plan. view article

Spring break is right around the corner! While schools welcome a much-needed break, they must also be ready to welcome possible new transfer students upon return. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) imposes certain requirements regarding the provision of special education services to students who transfer from one public agency to another. See 34 C.F.R. § 300.323(e)-(g). Within the past year, the Commissioner revised the administrative rules governing how Texas districts must respond when a special education student transfer into their district from another public school district (in-state or out-of-state). The following is a brief overview of those obligations for mid-year transfer students.

A new itemized report reveals that Humble ISD spent nearly $2 million on a two-year legal saga involving the former superintendent and her husband, the district's former athletic director. A Title IX complaint in 2023 against former superintendent Elizabeth Fagen’s husband, Troy Kite, led to a lengthy legal process that ended with the termination of both employees. view article

One student has been arrested following a social media threat made against three Beaumont ISD campuses Tuesday afternoon. The threat was made against Curtis Elementary School, Regina Howell Elementary School, and Marshall Middle School via TikTok. Beaumont ISD immediately contacted the BISD Police Department to conduct a thorough investigation after being made aware of the threats. view article

Christian A. Bourgeacq, an independent hearing examiner with the Texas Education Agency, found the Mart Independent School District Board of Trustees has good cause to terminate Superintendent Elizabeth “Betsy” Burnett for insubordination, unprofessional conduct, misrepresentation of facts, failure to timely inform the Board of important matters, and violations of her contract and Board policies, according to the examiner’s recommendation document. The recommendation comes in the wake of a series of public hearings on Jan. 24, 27, and 28 at the Region 12 Training Center in Waco, Texas. view article

IDEA Public Schools says it is cooperating with Round Rock police after an assistant principal was arrested for allegedly inappropriately touching a student on campus last month. Aaron Freeman, 49, is in the Williamson County Jail tonight, charged with indecency with a child by contact. view article

Members of a Fort Worth homeowners' association filed a lawsuit against several members of the Keller ISD school board Monday afternoon. The Heritage Homeowners Association and residents Cary Moon and Brian Black filed the lawsuit against board members Charles Randklev, Heather Washington, John Birt, Chris Coker, and Micah Young. view article

A former Austin ISD executive is accused of manipulating records in relation to more than $30,000 in district gift cards. AISD police say 40-year-old Amie Ortiz, Executive Director of Talent Strategy, created a gift card tracking system for an employee wellness program. view article

I’m David Moreno, arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. view article

Anthony R. Caudo III, 33, a police officer with the Midway ISD Police Department, and former Waco Police Department officer, was charged after he struck a woman in the face, resulting in the victim suffering a bleeding ear, arrest warrants state. Caudo is charged with assault-strangulation and assault-family violence, per court documents. KWTX has confirmed he is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. view article