‘Everything came back negative’: Pearland ISD student says he is being punished for THC vape he didn’t even have

A Pearland student says he was singled out and punished for a vape that he didn’t even have. The family not only says they have proof their son is innocent, but also say the school’s explanation for punishing him just isn’t adding up. Rodney Bonham Jr. is a senior and star football player at Glenda Dawson High School in Pearland. He says he stays out of trouble and focuses on maintaining his 3.6 GPA, but now he’s been placed in in-school suspension and will soon be temporarily transferred to an alternative school — over a THC vape he claims he never had. view article  

Hardin ISD suspends employee after allegations of inappropriate relationship with student

Hardin Independent School District (Hardin ISD) recently received information indicating that one of its employees is alleged to have engaged in inappropriate behavior with a student from another school district. Upon learning of these allegations, Hardin ISD took action, suspending the employee in question pending the outcome of an investigation. view article  

Fort Bend ISD passes new book removal policy, giving superintendent power to decide what stays in library

Fort Bend ISD trustees passed a controversial policy Monday night that gives the superintendent more power over books in schools. Previously, if a parent complained about a library book, it would be reviewed by a committee. That decision could be appealed to a district-wide committee, and finally, the school board. Now, complaints will go directly to the superintendent. view article  

Who Wrote Texas’s Million Dollar, Bible-Infused Curriculum? The State Won’t Say

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Texas State Police Gear Up for Massive Expansion of Surveillance Tech

verything is bigger in Texas—including state police contracts for surveillance tech. In June, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) signed an acquisition plan for a 5-year, nearly $5.3 million contract for a controversial surveillance tool called Tangles from tech firm PenLink, according to records obtained by the Texas Observer through a public information request. The deal is nearly twice as large as the company’s $2.7 million two-year contract with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Tangles is an artificial intelligence-powered web platform that scrapes information from the open, deep, and dark web. Tangles’ premier add-on feature, WebLoc, is controversial among digital privacy advocates. Any client who purchases access to WebLoc can track different mobile devices’ movements in a specific, virtual area selected by the user, through a capability called “geofencing.” Users of software like Tangles can do this without a search warrant or subpoena. (In a high-profile ruling, the Fifth Circuit view article  

Ken Paxton’s vote harvesting investigation in South Texas renews questions over politiqueras

Since the 2020 election, Texas Republicans have dramatically rewritten the state’s voting laws, which have made some long-standing practices illegal.  

Billy Leo, who died in 2018, was at one point mayor of La Joya, a Rio Grande Valley city of about 4,600 people, and Hidalgo County clerk — among several other public roles he held in South Texas.

As a politician and civic leader, he also was influential in popularizing the focus on absentee voter turnout in local races here.

To help increase voter turnout starting in the mid-1980s, he hired campaign workers to engage elderly residents and help them vote by mail. Such campaign workers came to be known locally as “politiqueras,” though Leo moved away from the term when it became associated with unscrupulous strategies such as paying for votes, his wife said.

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Fort Worth school board approves closing the district’s last sixth grade campus

Fort Worth school board members voted Tuesday to close McLean Sixth Grade Center and consolidate it into McLean Middle School, about three months after trustees tabled voting on multiple consolidation plans involving seven middle school campuses. Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article291576275.html#storylink=cpy view article  

Fort Worth mayor Mattie Parker says Fort Worth ISD lacks leadership and must change

Whether it's a school board or a city council, it's a common occurrence: people getting upset and demanding change. Tuesday, the person at the microphone during Fort Worth ISD's Board meeting was none other than the mayor. Mayor Mattie Parker presented the board members with a letter, bearing her signature along with that of 30 community members, including former Mayor Betsey Price. The letter criticizes Fort Worth Independent School District's performance, highlighting its shortcomings in comparison to Dallas and Houston. view article  

El Paso ISD Police Officer Fatally Shoots Retired FBI Agent at Franklin High

A man was shot and killed by an El Paso Independent School District police officer during a confrontation in a campus parking lot early Thursday morning. The officer fatally shot 56-year-old Julio Cordero around 5:45 a.m. after he was reportedly breaking windows before the start of classes at Franklin High School, where his son is a senior, El Paso Times reports. view article  

Taylor ISD super sets new goals

Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen presented her balanced scorecard of four priorities and 12 goals for 2024-28 to trustees Aug. 19. A scorecard aids school districts in assessing performance and monitoring progress using measurable goals and metrics, educators said. “In Taylor ISD we believe … the superintendent and district leaders are forward thinking, strategic and accessible partners to our community that empower staff to help students achieve their unique potential,” reads the district’s core belief statement. view article  

Student arrested at Fort Worth ISD campus after police found weapon

Arlington Heights High School, in Fort Worth ISD, sent out an email on Monday letting families know a weapon was found on campus. The email from the Principal of the school stated that Fort Worth Police conducted a search of a student following reports of suspicious activity. Police found a weapon in the student's possession and the individual was immediately arrested. The email did not specify what weapon was found. view article  

Mayor calls for urgent reforms in Fort Worth ISD to boost student performance

It's not something you typically see, but on Tuesday, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker addressed the Fort Worth ISD school board during the public comment session. Parker said the district has consistently lagged behind other large Texas school systems in performance. "It was my imperative to be here tonight to really start a movement that I know we can catalyze change," she said. view article  

Corsicana ISD educator injured by student could lose her eye, calls on Gov. Abbott to make changes

A Navarro County educator who was injured by a student earlier this month said she could lose her eye due to the incident — and she's calling on the Texas governor to make changes in the education system. Collins Intermediate School Assistant Principal Candra Rogers was airlifted to Parkland hospital in Dallas after a student threw a wooden hanger at her. view article  

Katy ISD board votes to ban books about gender identity from many school libraries

Tompkins High School student Travis Thornton held up a copy of "Mein Kampf," the 1925 manifesto published by Adolf Hitler, saying it had been checked out of the school library. The book written by the former dictator of Germany and leader of the Nazi Party, who started World War II and oversaw the genocide of millions of Jews, is available to students in Katy ISD. As of Monday night, though, students like Thornton must get parental permission to access books that touch on gender identity – while elementary and junior high students in the district will not even be able to find them in their school libraries. view article  

Mayor calls Fort Worth ISD’s STAAR test results ‘unacceptable’

The mayor of Fort Worth called Fort Worth ISD’s STAAR test results "unacceptable." She’s demanding trustees take action. Mayor Mattie Parker made the comment during Tuesday night’s school board meeting. She also presented trustees with a letter backed by 40 other community leaders addressing the reforms that must be made. view article  

‘No trust, no bond:’ Teachers union-backed poll claims voters do NOT support Houston ISD bond proposal

The report says only 39% of voters support the historic bond package “to update and repair HISD buildings and for new technology.” The poll report says this is largely because there’s minimal trust for the state-appointed superintendent, Mike Miles, or trust for him to manage funds. view article  

North Lamar ISD Continues Fourth Year of Middle School Baseball and Softball Programs

North Lamar ISD is proud to announce the start of the fourth year of its Middle School Baseball and Softball programs. These two programs have grown in popularity and success, providing students with early exposure to competitive play and skill development. The baseball program, now in its fourth year, features two teams under the leadership of Head Coach Bric Steed and Assistant Coach Chad Chalupa. view article  

Killeen ISD’s new ‘phone pouch’ system has begun. How’s it working?

Not every middle and high school student in Killeen ISD has been issued a cellphone pouch yet, but that day is coming soon, according to KISD officials. According to Susan Buckley, a KISD assistant superintendent, all campuses have received the lockable pouches as of last week and “distribution is currently underway.” view article  

Austin ISD awarded $15M grant for solar panel program

The U.S. Department of Energy named the Austin Independent School District the recipient of a multi-million-dollar grant to expand the district’s solar panel program. Austin ISD received the $15 million grant to help fund the addition of solar panels to 14 “historically underserved communities,” the district said in a release Monday. It was the sole Texas school district to receive funding from the federal government’s Renew America’s Schools Grant program. view article  

Fort Bend ISD approves library book policy that allows superintendent to remove books

The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees approved a policy change on Monday that will allow the superintendent authority to remove certain books from school libraries. The superintendent will also designate someone to fulfill that role. Only two trustees voted no. view article  

Fort Bend ISD adopts change to book policy that allows superintendent to control content

On Monday night, Fort Bend ISD trustees got an earful from parents concerned about a new book policy that gives the superintendent more power over books available in school libraries. The parents and students gathered before the meeting to voice their concerns while hoping the board would hear their pleas. view article  

North Texas asst. principal suffered ‘severe’ eye injury in classroom incident, district says

Corsicana ISD released more information Monday about an incident involving a student that caused an assistant principal at Collins Intermediate School to be flown to a hospital. Candra Rogers was injured during a "disruption in a classroom" on Thursday, Aug. 15, school officials said. School officials initially released few details about what happened, causing some parents to express concerns about the safety of the school. view article  

Gun found on Dallas ISD elementary school campus

Dallas ISD is stepping up security measures at Solar Preparatory School after a gun was found on campus on Friday. view article  

Westwood ISD teacher accused of ‘troubling’ classroom incident involving animal

A teacher for a Palestine school bonded out of jail Sunday after being accused of animal cruelty. Emily Marie Benner, 25, of Oakwood, was arrested Sunday by Westwood ISD PD for cruelty to non-livestock animals after what the school called a “deeply troubling” classroom incident on Friday. view article  

Diabetes took over her life, until a stem cell therapy freed her

For years, Amanda Smith and her husband were jolted awake at night by a buzz-buzz-beep — an alarm warning that her blood sugar was too high or too low. She would reach for juice boxes stored in her nightstand or fiddle with her pump to release a bolus of insulin.  Smith, a 35-year-old nurse from London, Ontario, has Type 1 diabetes, which wipes out critical islet cells within the pancreas that produce insulin. Without them, Smith relied on vials of insulin from a pharmacy and constant vigilance to stay alive. “You have to pay attention to your diabetes, or you die.” view article  

Carroll ISD, Dallas ISD investigate unrelated school safety incidents

Investigations are underway on Monday after safety threats at two different North Texas school districts. In Dallas ISD, a tip led school leaders at Solar Preparatory School for Boys to find and quickly recover a gun from a student. A letter was sent to parents on Friday when it happened. view article  

Austin ISD settles lawsuit with Disability Rights Texas over special education backlog

Last Thursday, Austin ISD's board voted to approve the settlement, though neither the district nor Disability Rights Texas have released additional details. view article  

A North Texas college donated land to a Christian school. State and federal laws prohibit such gifts, experts say

In 2004, a public junior college in North Texas abandoned plans to lease some of its land to a religious organization for $1 a month after the state attorney general warned that the effort could violate the law. Nearly two decades later, the college went further. After publicly posting only that Weatherford College’s board would meet to discuss property, members emerged from behind closed doors in November 2022 and voted unanimously to give a 38-acre property to Community Christian School. The property was valued at more than $2 million, according to the county’s appraisal district. view article  

Anthony ISD proposes property tax hike to address budget shortfall

The Anthony Independent School District is looking to increase taxes for its home property owners. The school district is asking voters to consider raising their taxes in the November election. This comes after the Superintendent said the district experienced a budget shortfall due to continued inflation. view article  

Round Rock ISD teacher accused of indecency, child pornography, court documents say

A Round Rock Independent School teacher was arrested and accused of indecency with a child and child pornography, according to an affidavit of probable cause from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. Court records said the victim reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division in June about the incidents. view article  

Teachers union decries first year of Houston ISD takeover, Mike Miles’ New Education System

During a Houston City Council committee hearing Thursday, a local teachers federation painted a disturbing picture of Houston ISD campuses since the state’s takeover of its largest school district last year. Speaking for the Houston Federation of Teachers, a local union that represents more than 6,000 district teachers, digital organizer Jessie Heiner and Chief of Staff Corina Ortiz reiterated the organization’s concerns with the New Education System, school facilities and campus upkeep ahead of the new school year to members of the city council’s labor committee. view article  

Abilene ISD reacts to recent educator arrest

The Abilene Police Department arrested Lawrence Brandt Grigg, a former employee with Abilene ISD, Wednesday on suspicion of engaging in an improper relationship between an educator and a student. Grigg, 53, was being held Friday in the Taylor County Jail on a $1 million bond, according to jail records. view article  

Harvard Elementary PTA calls for community meeting with Houston ISD to discuss HVAC issues at schoo

Harvard Elementary School has dealt with extreme heat over the first two weeks of classes due to issues with the school’s HVAC system. Now, the students’ parents have run out of patience, and they are demanding answers. On Friday, the Harvard PTA released an open letter to the community, which can be found here. In the letter, PTA President Anar Abasov addresses the issues with the school and requests a community meeting with Houston ISD. view article  

3-year-old pre-K student ‘sad’ after New Braunfels ISD transportation issues

A three-year-old New Braunfels ISD student didn’t make it home on her normal bus route two days in a row. The school district is now investigating the second incident, as she was left sitting on a bus after all the other students got off. Camilla is a pre-kindergarten student in New Braunfels. Her mom tells KSAT that Camilla didn’t get off the bus after school on Wednesday, August 21, or Thursday, August 22. view article  

Round Rock Teacher Arrested for Child Sex Crimes

Domingo Perez Jr. has been charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact and possession of child pornography..   view article