Long lines linger at Houston’s biggest airport as TSA agents miss work during partial government shutdown

The ongoing partial government shutdown has led to long security lines at airports across the country, but no airport has felt the effects as acutely as George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. On Thursday, wait times at Bush, one of the nation’s busiest airports, reached four hours or more, with lines extending outside its terminals. Passenger volume at Bush is expected to get worse this weekend, driven by major events in Houston, including the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament. The lines are a result of many Transportation Security Administration officers — who aren’t getting paid during the shutdown — not coming to work. As airline passengers waited in long lines and congressional negotiators appeared far from a deal to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, President Donald Trump late Thursday said on social media that he will sign an emergency order for the department, which oversees TSA, to immediately pay TSA officers. He did not elaborate where the money for the agency, unfunded by Congress for more than a month, would come from.
Northside ISD has nearly $200 million in 2022 bond project ‘on hold’

Nine school improvement projects totaling nearly $200 million from Northside Independent School District's 2022 bond issue are "on hold" with no indication of when the projects will be built. Just four years after its nearly $1 billion bond election, San Antonio's largest school district intends to seek voter approval in November on a bond package for security upgrades and other improvements. Northside's Building Committee got an update Wednesday on the $198.47 million in projects that were approved nearly four years ago but have not since been executed. Superintendent John Craft told a panel of trustees he wants to "be careful in not putting millions and millions of dollars into these facilities and then having to come back in a very short amount of time (and saying), 'Well, we really need more science labs.'
147 measles cases reported in Texas so far this year, most of them in federal detention centers

Local officials report that 108 of the cases originated in a contracted detention facility in Hudspeth County. The largest outbreak is in a single contracted federal detention facility in Hudspeth County, as of March 18, according to DSHS. Hudspeth County Judge Joanna MacKenzie told The Texas Tribune that the 108 cases are all at the West Texas Detention Facility, which is managed by LaSalle Corrections, a private company. The facility has previously housed immigrant detainees, though it’s not clear if it still does. It does not appear on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s list of detention facilities. “Not having jurisdiction, my office is not involved in response,” MacKenzie added in a statement, “however I remain in communication with DSHS and LaSalle, as I regularly do.”
Why an East Texas rancher donated part of his water rights to the state

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Bob Sanders bumps along the dirt roads of his 1,100-acre ranch in a beat up burgundy Chevrolet Suburban, the engine roaring as his sprawling cattle operation, known locally for its wagyu beef, stretches around him. A shotgun rides in the passenger seat and battered binoculars sit on the dashboard. The sloping pasture where his rust-colored cows graze gives way to trees that flank a narrow ribbon of water. It doesn’t look like much, just a slow-moving channel threading through sweetgums and cypress, but this 2.6-mile stretch of the Big Cypress Bayou carries a lot of weight — it connects Lake O’ the Pines, the region’s main water supply, to Caddo Lake, the state’s only natural lake. Water feels abundant in the area. But even in this lush corner of the state, water is increasingly top of mind. For Sanders and many of his neighbors, the bayou represents something increasingly fragile in Texas: water that still belongs to the landscape it came from. The sloping pasture where his rust-colored cows graze gives way to trees that flank a narrow ribbon of water. It doesn’t look like much, just a slow-moving channel threading through sweetgums and cypress, but this 2.6-mile stretch of the Big Cypress Bayou carries a lot of weight — it connects Lake O’ the Pines, the region’s main water supply, to Caddo Lake, the state’s only natural lake. Water feels abundant in the area. But even in this lush corner of the state, water is increasingly top of mind. For Sanders and many of his neighbors, the bayou represents something increasingly fragile in Texas: water that still belongs to the landscape it came from.
Muslim parents, private schools sue Texas over exclusion of Islamic institutions in voucher program

The federal lawsuits argue Texas officials are engaging in religious discrimination by preventing Islamic private schools from accessing state voucher money. Four Muslim parents and three private schools have sued Texas leaders for excluding Islamic private schools from participating in the state’s private school voucher program. The two federal lawsuits ask the court to block the voucher program from discriminating on the basis of religion. The first suit, filed March 1 by a parent acting on behalf of two children who attend a Houston private school, names Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock and Education Commissioner Mike Morath as defendants. A second suit filed March 11 by three parents and three schools names Hancock and Mary Katherine Stout, education savings account program manager, as defendants. Here’s what to know.
As Superintendent Karen Molinar exits takeover, Texas signals a hard reset for Fort Worth ISD

FWISD Superintendent Karen Molinar observed the children learning as she visited classrooms Monday and Tuesday, knowing the clock on her three decades in Fort Worth schools was winding down. Molinar, 51, learned her time in the district that grew her from a reading teacher into a principal and, eventually, the leader of its schools was over after the Texas education commissioner told her last week she won’t serve during the state takeover. She informed families and staff Wednesday that she will not remain as superintendent. “I promised them at the beginning of this that I would be transparent, and I would give them updates,” Molinar told the Fort Worth Report. “I had to do that even when it came to what would happen to me personally and professionally. I had to stand up to my word.” Her impending departure from FWISD drew mixed reactions. Some teachers, parents and city leaders praised Molinar’s decades of service and insisted she should remain in the role during the takeover. Others argued new leadership is necessary as state leaders try to turnaround years of failing academics in Fort Worth.

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Dallas Judge Declares Mistrial in Tren de Aragua Capital Murder Case

February 2308:30 AM

Dallas Judge Ernest White has declared a mistrial in the county’s first capital murder case linked to the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua. After three rounds of deliberation, jurors remained deadlocked. Carlos Zambrano Bolivar—25 years old at the time of the incident—was charged with capital murder and two counts of aggravated kidnapping in connection with the August 2024 murder of 33-year-old Nilzuly Arneaud Petit, a fellow gang member. Bolivar is one of four accused suspects. All four suspects were reportedly in the country illegally. Each had been taken into custody after crossing the border and were released with court dates under the Biden administration, according to DHS sources. view article

Republican AG Candidates Pressed on Closing Texas GOP Primaries

February 2308:30 AM

Candidates Middleton and Reitz differentiate themselves in the field of four. Republican candidates for Texas attorney general were asked in a recent debate whether the state GOP should be allowed to close its primaries to all but affiliated Republicans and what role the attorney general should play in the process. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy gave the briefest remarks of the bunch, saying that the primaries should be closed and that the attorney general should enforce the law. view article

Paxton Sues Shein for Poisoning Consumers, Exposing Texans’ Data to the CCP

February 2308:30 AM

Shein is the fifth China-connected company that Texas has sued this week .Attorney General Ken Paxton is escalating his campaign against Chinese Communist Party-linked corporations, filing his fifth anti-CCP lawsuit in four days—this time targeting global fast-fashion giant Shein for allegedly poisoning consumers and compromising their data privacy. view article

How pasadena ISD ‘s purchasing team

February 2308:28 AM

The Itasca Independent School District in Hill County is warning families after a former high school student was arrested for creating AI‑generated pornography using photos of teachers and students, according to district officials. The district says the former student took photos of students and staff on Itasca ISD campuses and in neighboring districts, then used an artificial‑intelligence platform to alter them into nude and sexually explicit images digitally. view article

This Texas school board removed a book ban. But some say the harm of censorship cannot be easily undone.

February 2308:25 AM

Nearly two years after Cypress-Fairbanks ISD trustees voted to remove 13 chapters from several career and science textbooks, a newly elected board has reinstated the materials. The initial ban triggered community outrage and protests, an influx of campaign donations ahead of board elections, and ultimately the defeat of conservative trustees at the ballot box last November. view article

Judson ISD board narrows down elementary school closure list

February 2308:25 AM

Dozens of parents, teachers, administrators and children urged Judson Independent School District trustees Saturday not to close their school. Liam Freeman, a fifth-grader at Rolling Meadows Elementary School, said the 15-year-old campus “has helped shaped who we are.” view article

Judge pauses SB 12: What changes for Houston ISD and Katy ISD

February 2308:25 AM

A federal judge temporarily banned Houston Independent School District (HISD), Katy Independent School District (Katy ISD), and Plano Independent School District (PISD) from enforcing sections 3,7,24, and 27 of Senate Bill 12 (SB 12). view article

Waco ISD teacher assaulted student who broke a pencil: affidavit

February 2308:24 AM

A Kindergarten teacher at J.H. Hines Elementary School was arrested Thursday after school police say she twisted the arm of a 5-year-old student behind his back and put her knee in his back after the boy broke a pencil. Waco Independent School District police arrested Pamela Mitchell, 64, on an injury to a child count, a third-degree felony punishable up to 10 years in prison. view article

Community members pack meeting as Judson ISD weighs closing 3 elementary schools

February 2308:23 AM

Community members across the Judson Independent School District packed the boardroom Saturday morning as the district weighed the decision on which elementary school faces a possible closure next school year. School board leaders are expected to close three elementary schools as part of a plan to close four campuses across Judson ISD to help reduce a $37 million deficit. view article

Austin ISD is closing 10 schools this fall. Here’s what those communities will lose

February 2307:40 AM

This fall, the Austin Independent School District will close 10 campuses as it tries to cut a $65 million deficit after 15 years of declining enrment. Get Digital Access and Stay Informed. For decades, these campuses anchored neighborhoods, shaped families and kept traditions alive as new students grew and learned. view article

The Woodlands to pursue Town Center tunnel project through Elon Musk’s The Boring Co. challenge

February 2305:00 AM

The Woodlands Township is officially pursuing a tunnel under Town Center as part of Elon Musk's Boring Co. plan to reduce traffic gridlock known as the Tunnel Vision Challenge. The township board on Thursday unanimously approved a letter of support and a proposal for a tunnel that would connect Waterway Square, The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and Town Green Park. view article

Potential 2026 bond could fund next phase of Leander High School modernization

February 2305:00 AM

Leander ISD board trustees discussed the possibility of a 2026 bond Feb. 19 that could fund the next phase of modernization projects at Leander High School. The discussion provided context for LISD's Citizens' Facility Advisory Committee, which would develop the bond proposal, Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Trimble said. According to Trimble, the standard modernization cycle of a facility is 20 years, but given current circumstances, that cycle is about 25 years. Ten facilities opened in LISD between 2000 and 2005, with another nine facilities opening in the five years after that. "Twenty-five years later, all of these facilities are entering that modernization window simultaneously," Trimble said. "So we have a bubble working through our system, and eventually it could burst if we do not address some of these needs." view article

More than 100K students have applied to Texas’ voucher program. A lottery determines who gets a spot.

February 2305:00 AM

More than 100,000 families have applied for the Texas private school voucher program as of this week, meaning the state will officially use a lottery process to determine which are first in line. Republicans say hitting the milestone just two weeks after the application portal opened is a sign that their signature education policy, which sends state dollars to families for private tuition, books, therapy and more, is popular with the public t also means the applicant pool likely exceeds the program’s available funding, set at $1 billion for the first year. The Texas comptroller’s office will need to run a complex lottery system to determine which applicants' families will ultimately receive the limited state dollars, and which families go on a waitlist. view article

Trustees in Scandal-Plagued Schools Withdraw From May Election

February 2305:00 AM

School board incumbents in Celina and Prosper filed for re-election but later withdrew. Trustees in two scandal-plagued North Texas school districts—Celina and Prosper—have withdrawn their re-election bids after previously filing to run in the May 2 elections.In Celina Independent School District, School Board President Jeff Gravley is no longer seeking re-election after serving 15 years as a trustee. Gravley had filed to run again for his Place 3 seat but withdrew after the February 13 filing deadline. He was first elected to the board in 2011. Last year, Celina ISD suffered a sex-abuse scandal involving locker room recordings of middle school students by the son of the district’s now-retired Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bill Elliott—an acknowledged close personal friend of Gravley’s. That relationship was noted as a conflict of interest in an investigative report commissioned by the district. view article

University of Texas regents approve limits on teaching “unnecessary controversial subjects”

February 2009:00 AM

Opponents warned the policy’s vagueness could push professors to self-censor and leave students less prepared for the workplace. The University of Texas System’s Board of Regents unanimously approved Thursday a rule requiring its universities to ensure students can graduate without studying “unnecessary controversial subjects,” despite warnings it could leave them less prepared for the real world. The rule also requires faculty to disclose in their syllabi the topics they plan to cover and adhere to the plan, and says that when courses include controversial issues, instructors must ensure a “broad and balanced approach” to the discussion. view article

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University of Texas regents approve limits on teaching “unnecessary controversial subjects”

February 2008:41 AM

Galveston ISD becomes latest local school district to reject daily prayer periods, Bible readings

February 2008:31 AM

Houston ISD and several other area districts have voted against adopting designated prayer sessions, which are optional for students and staff under Senate Bill 11, while Magnolia ISD has approved them. All Texas districts face a March 1 deadline to make a decision about whether or not to implement them. view article

Magnolia ISD approves daily prayer period under new Texas law, experts expect more rejections

February 2008:31 AM

A deadline is looming for school districts in the state of Texas to decide if they are going to allow a prayer period at school, under Senate Bill 11. According to our news partners at the Houston Chronicle, so far over a dozen school districts in the greater Houston area have voted against adopting the policy. view article

Robertson County sheriff shares more information about threat to Franklin ISD

February 2008:31 AM

On the morning of February 18, 2026, the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office says it responded swiftly to a threat at Franklin High School after receiving a call from a male caller claiming to be in possession of explosives and a rifle. An investigation later revealed that other calls like this were made to other school campuses across the state. view article

Houston ISD is rolling out a new kind of school | Here’s what the district says makes it different

February 2008:28 AM

Houston ISD is preparing what Superintendent Mike Miles calls “the next stage in changing the American public education system” with the launch of two Future 2 schools, a pilot program designed to rethink how students learn in the age of artificial intelligence. view article

Midway ISD considering closing Speegleville Elementary amid budget deficit

February 2008:27 AM

The Midway Independent School District is considering closing Speegleville Elementary School to address financial challenges after recent state funding laws reportedly left the district underfunded. Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen addressed the school board, staff and parents Tuesday night about how recent state funding has limited the district’s spending options. view article

Everman ISD outsources two campuses with TEA takeover threat looming

February 2008:27 AM

Two Everman ISD schools will be run by a Colorado-based nonprofit next year after the district board voted to outsource operations at two campuses whose continued failing accountability score performance could put the entire district at risk of state takeover. The district will pay Third Future Schools millions of dollars to take over Townley Elementary and Baxter Junior High schools for the next three years. The TEA gave Townley F grades in 2023 and 2024 and a D in 2025. It gave Baxter F grades all three years. Five years of failing grades puts the district at risk of state takeover. view article

Hitchcock ISD downgraded to ‘Accredited–Warned’ after back-to-back failing financial ratings

February 2008:27 AM

Hitchcock Independent School District has been placed on an “Accredited–Warned” status by the Texas Education Agency after receiving failing financial accountability ratings for two consecutive years. In a letter sent to families Tuesday, the district said its accreditation status for the 2025–2026 school year was changed due to deficiencies identified in the state’s financial accountability rating system. view article

Hitchcock mayor, who also serves as Hitchcock ISD assistant superintendent, arrested after gambling raids

February 2008:25 AM

Hitchcock ISD says it is reviewing information related to the recent arrest of Assistant Superintendent Chris Armacost, who also serves as mayor of Hitchcock. In a statement to KPRC 2, the district said, “Hitchcock ISD is aware of the recent arrest of Chris Armacost. He remains an employee of the district as we are reviewing all applicable information. Due to this being a personnel-related matter, the district cannot provide further comment.” view article

‘Little betrayed’ Fort Worth ISD looks to close De Zavla Elementary a year early

February 2008:25 AM

De Zavala Elementary will close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year if the Fort Worth Independent School District board approves the move in March. Fort Worth ISD said its Superintendent, Dr. Karen Molinar, plans to make the recommendation, which will be reviewed in the March 24 board meeting. Students from Dassett Montessori school will move on to the campus sooner. view article

United ISD rejects prayer policy in unanimous vote

February 2008:25 AM

The United Independent School District board unanimously rejected a prayer policy on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Texas Senate Bill 11 requires all school boards to vote on allowing daily voluntary prayer time. The policy would have required parental consent and banned prayers over the public address system. view article

Katy ISD book ban debate reignites as trustees consider removing ‘Cat Kid,’ ‘Fake News’

February 2008:24 AM

Katy ISD trustees were split this week over two challenged library books, the latest for a district that has removed 57 titles from shelves over the past five years. The board will vote next week on whether to retain, modify or remove “Cat Kid Comic Club” and “Fake News Phenomenon.” view article

College Station ISD extends application deadline for out-of-district transfer program

February 2008:23 AM

College Station ISD school board members announced they are extending the application deadline for its out-of-district transfer program. The application deadline was originally February 27th, but it will now remain open for the foreseeable future. According to College Station ISD Superintendent Tim Harkrider, they’ve only received 15 applications so far view article

Northside ISD denies interview request as questions persist in Jaren Lawson’s death

February 2008:21 AM

Questions continue to surround the death of Jaren Lawson as Northside ISD declines interview requests and parents and players raise concerns about what happened during the practice where Lawson collapsed. News 4/Fox SA requested an interview with district administrators or coaches, but was denied. view article

Midland ISD school implement new safety software

February 2008:21 AM

Midland ISD is installing a system that will protect students, staff and visitors from gun-related violence. ZeroEyes is an AI based gun detection and situational awareness platform. “I think it’s a tool that enhances our ability to stop something before it happens,” said Robert Doporto, the Chief of Police for the Midland ISD Police Department. view article

Sabine ISD athletic director to step down after 4 years

February 2008:14 AM

Sabine ISD Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Cody Gilbert announced he will not be returning to the school district for the 2026 fall season. Gilbert said in a statement Wednesday that the 2025-26 school year will be his last as athletic director at Sabine ISD. view article

Daggett Montessori moving into De Zavala campus after FWISD elementary closes in May

February 2005:34 AM

Second grader Felix Moreno isn’t sure if he’ll see his friends at school next year. Felix and his family thought they had one more year at De Zavala Elementary before it closed its doors for good in 2027. Now, they have three months left at their FWISD school. De Zavala is closing in May so Daggett Montessori, a kindergarten through eighth-grade school, can move out of its structurally unsound building and into the nearby elementary campus, Fort Worth ISD leaders said. The school board will formalize the decision in March. Kelly Moreno, Felix’s mom, said the decision frustrates parents. view article

TEA clears Tarrant County school superintendent of wrongdoing

February 2005:26 AM

A Euless charter school superintendent has been cleared of wrongdoing following a months-long investigation by the Texas Education Agency. Last summer, a contingent of parents at Treetops School International accused James Whitfield, who joined the campus in 2023, of financial mismanagement and of failing to report an alleged incident of physical abuse by a teacher. At the time, the parents were vocal in their displeasure with Whitfield’s leadership, but there was little in the way of concrete evidence to support the claims against him. Much of the uproar came after Treetops administrators voted to adopt a four-day school week and eliminate seventh through 12 grades beginning with the 2025-26 school year. The school now operates as a kindergarten through sixth grade campus. view article

Rep. Tony Gonzales accuses dead staffer’s husband of trying to blackmail him amid affair scandal

February 2005:00 AM

Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio on Thursday claimed he was being blackmailed by the husband of a former staffer who died by suicide. Earlier this week, the San Antonio Express-News reported that the staffer had confided in a colleague that she had an affair with the congressman while they were both married. “I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED. Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death,” Gonzales wrote in a social media post on X. He shared a screenshot of half of an email, which seems to indicate a lawyer for the staffer’s husband is requesting a settlement of up to $300,000 from Gonzales in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement. The email, which is not dated or timestamped, is signed by Robert Barrera, an attorney who is representing the staffer’s husband. view article

Katy ISD considers banning books about ‘gender fluidity’ from some school libraries

February 2005:00 AM

Trustees for the Houston-area school district narrowly voted last August to implement a policy that prohibits employees from discussing gender-related issues with students and requires them to notify students’ parents if they identify as transgender. That policy is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. view article

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TexasISD.com was the brainchild of Joe F. Smith. Joe retired early from a successful career as Superintendent of Schools for Hudson ISD, deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Due to a long battle with Post-Polio Syndrome the doctor made him hang it up and rest for six months. Never being the kind of person to sit still and also not being the person to listen to his doctor, Joe logged lengthy sessions in front of his PC researching school issues, reading papers and corresponding with his friends and colleagues in the education business.

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