Police officials and law enforcement experts say there’s no guarantee that officers will follow their training and confront a shooter — no matter how much training they have.  In the weeks since officers in Uvalde waited more than an hour to confront a gunman who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school, police departments across the state have asked themselves a crucial question: If they faced a similar situation, would they be able to quickly stop the gunman?  The images of parents and students pleading with officers to take action at Robb Elementary School on May 24 before a tactical team of federal agents finally breached a classroom and fatally shot the 18-year-old gunman deeply disturbed Marfa police Chief Estevan Marquez. view article

An increase in COVID-19 cases among children in El Paso is resulting in more absences at some schools. "Last week my child had a light cough so we decided not to take her to school to not expose the other children to her cough," said El Paso ISD parent Guerrero Garcia. view article

Some Brenham ISD parents are concerned about the safety of their children aboard school buses, while the district struggles to find people to drive them. Overcrowding and longer run times for some buses has parents worried and debating whether their children should be using school transportation. One parent, Cassi Harrison, has pulled her three children off after she says her daughter had to sit on the floor of her elementary school bus, which had students from two bus routes. Harrison says the safety of the children needs to be addressed. view article

Saying positive cases of COVID-19 are climbing to "very high rates" in the district, the Richardson ISD says they are once again temporarily implementing a mask requirement for everyone inside K-12 schools. In a letter to parents, the district said active cases of COVID-19 have increased from 49 on Dec. 7 to 1,089 on Jan. 6, an increase of more than 2100%. The previous pandemic-high number of positive cases in RISD was 367 on Sept. 3. view article

They say participation is strictly voluntary, but the Fort Worth Independent School District is offering a one-time $500 incentive to employees who get fully vaccinated against COVID. Administrators say the money is an ‘effort to provide safe and healthy environments for students, staff and visitors’. view article

In a video address by the Conroe ISD superintendent, Dr. Curtis Null gave an update on the latest numbers on Friday as COVID-19 cases in the district continue to climb. Dr. Curtis Null, the Conroe ISD Superintendent, said, “We need to do something as a community to help make sure that we can keep our schools open and keep our kids safe.” According to the district in the first two weeks of the school year, there have been over 1,100 reported positive cases that included 962 students and 176 staff. view article

Houston ISD students and employees who refuse to wear masks when the school year begins could face discipline and be forced to temporarily learn online under new guidelines released by the district. With exceptions and reasonable accommodations made for people with a “documented medical disability,” the district’s updated back-to-school plan, released Friday evening, says that those who refuse to comply with the mask mandate will face consequences. view article

As COVID-19 cases rise and schools begin to come back into session, the safety of students is a top priority for many school districts. According to a social media post by Jim Hogg County Judge Juan Carlos Guerra, JHC ISD is taking precautions to protect students against rising case numbers. view article

The largest school district in the San Antonio area said Wednesday they will not be enforcing a mask mandate, “for now,” despite a county-wide requirement issued Tuesday that students and teachers wear masks in public schools. A Northside Independent School District spokesperson told KSAT that the district will continue to “strongly encourage the use of facemasks by students, staff, and visitors to district facilities and events” but stopped short of requiring them. Meanwhile, they will “closely monitor the changing guidelines and directives” and alert the public of any change to the policy before the district’s start date on Aug. 23, the spokesperson said. view article

Round Rock ISD parents are divided on COVID-19 masking protocol, with some fighting to keep mask rules in place for their schools and others wanting it to be a choice. The school district's board of trustees recently considered relaxing the mask requirement, but voted to keep the rules in place through the end of the calendar year. view article

All Fort Worth ISD employees will soon be offered a COVID-19 vaccine. Superintendent Kent Scribner sent the information to employees on Thursday. The email states that all employees, including part-time and substitute workers, will be invited to sign up for the vaccine through the school district. view article

During and after a Nov. 9 meeting, Friendswood ISD board members and parents discussed the merits and challenges of structural changes to the district’s virtual learning program. Guidance from the Texas Education Agency released Nov. 5 gave the district significantly more options when it comes to virtual learners, officials said. But that guidance continues to change. view article

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Mackenzie Middle School has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 at the school. Mackenzie Middle School release a statement to parents confirming the case of COVID-19 on August 26, 2020. view article

School districts across the Brazos Valley will be heading back to school in the next few weeks but many are dealing with new protocols as the pandemic continues into the new school year. One area that many districts are dealing with is extracurricular activities. KBTX spoke to Bryan ISD’s Fine Arts Director, Patrick Corbett about how the district’s protocols are adjusting to fit the needs and safety for those who choose to participate. view article

The union for Austin Independent School District employees is asking the district and the state not to send employees back to school buildings in August. Union members say it is unsafe for employees and children to be in classes together. During an online news conference Wednesday, Education Austin President Ken Zarifis said the union is asking AISD to commit to online learning only for the first nine weeks of the semester, while monitoring Covid-19 cases in the city. He also asked that increased pay for employees like cafeteria workers and other support staff continue. view article

Lamar University and Nederland Independent School District both confirmed Wednesday that employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. The NISD employee was last on campus on May 20 and self-reported a positive test according to a statement. view article

Manor ISD is confirming that an employee who recently prepared and distributed curbside meals at Manor New Tech High School has tested positive for COVID-19. According to Manor ISD, the employee’s last day on campus was April 9. All staff who may have had contact with the employee have been contacted and directed to self-quarantine for the next 14 days. view article

Alief ISD has been notified that a female in her 40‘s who works for Owens Intermediate School has been diagnosed as positive with COVID-19, the district said Tuesday. The district said Owens Intermediate School continues to be deeply sanitized and although schools and offices have been closed since March 13 and remain closed at this time, all Alief ISD employees and students have been instructed to continue to follow CDC guidelines and recommendations and to continue to practice social distancing. view article

Austin ISD is announcing changes to its food services amid the coronavirus outbreak. After the City of Austin announced the first cases of coronavirus in Travis County, AISD canceled classes and extended Spring Break for students. view article

As school districts around North Texas and the country brace for possible coronavirus cases, Irving ISD is stressing calm and highlighting preventive measures families can take to prevent infections. Following a warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in the U.S. is likely inevitable, the district is emphasizing that the need for immediate concern is minimal. view article

The lockdown of all Royal Independent School District campuses that was prompted by an unspecified threat was lifted Thursday afternoon. According to a message posted on the district’s website, the lockdown meant no one was allowed in or out of any buildings on campus. By 3:40 p.m., a message on the district’s Facebook page said the lockdown had been lifted. view article

Officers with the Hudson ISD Police Department arrested a former math teacher for the school district on Monday in connection to allegations that he had an improper relationship with a high school student that included sexual contact. view article

Children with severe disabilities often don’t have the ability to speak up when they are hurt at school, so determining what happened can be difficult. That’s why one Dallas ISD trustee wants to require each special education classroom in the district to have video cameras. Texas public schools are already required to place one in a special education setting if a parent requests it. view article

A Whitehouse ISD student has been arrested Tuesday after making a threat. According to a Facebook post from Whitehouse ISD, the student was arrested Tuesday morning and was charged with making a terroristic threat, a 3rd degree felony.

The Texas school district where eight students and two teachers were fatally shot last month has implemented security measures increasing the number of police officers and guards on campuses. The Santa Fe Independent School District said the increased security presence began Wednesday at the district's four schools southeast of Houston. view article

A shooting has been reported at a high school in the southeastern Texas city of Santa Fe, officials said Friday. A gunman walked into an art class at Santa Fe High School and began firing what looked like a shotgun, a witness told CNN affiliate KTRK. The witness told KTRK she saw a girl shot in the leg. view article

Staff at Lometa Independent School District in Lampasas County will soon be able to carry concealed weapons after the school board approved their use at a recent meeting. The school board voted March 23 to allow volunteers with concealed carry licenses to begin carrying concealed weapons on campus after undergoing specialized training required by the state. “We have actually had this policy in place for three or four years,” Superintendent David Fisher said. “It was put in place by the prior administration.” view article

In the wake of last month's mass shooting when 17 high school students were killed in Parkland, Fla., a new awareness of school safety issues seems to have arrived for district officials and trustees at Fort Bend ISD. "I've heard a great deal from our students and staff who are concerned and feel like this school shooting felt different from any other school shooting in our nation" FBISD superintendent Charles Dupre said in a video posted on the district website. Awareness of the shooting seemed to be heightened because of media coverage and discussions on social media, Dupree said. view article

A flu outbreak has prompted the entire Sunnyvale school district to halt classes Tuesday and Wednesday, officials announced Monday. Not only are student absences soaring, but officials also believe kids needed to be separated to prevent further contamination. view article

Two former Killeen ISD teachers were arrested in a prostitution sting in Bell County on Nov. 8, the Bell County Sheriff's Office confirmed Tuesday. Terrance Hockless, a former music teacher, and Aaron Daub, a former career builder teacher, were both charged with prostitution -- along with eight other individuals who were also arrested in the bust, according to BCSO Major T.J. Cruz. view article

 As the school year draws to a close and mosquito season begins in earnest, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is enlisting the aid of school districts across the state to educate students and their families about the Zika virus. “As hubs of your community, we are asking for your help in preventing the spread of Zika by providing your students and their families with additional information,” said a letter sent out Wednesday to school superintendents and members of local school boards. The letter was signed by Abbott, as well as Education Commissioner Mike Morath and Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt. view article

Police in San Juan took a middle schooler into custody after the student took an unloaded pistol to school. According to a PSJA ISD press release, the Raul Yzaguirre Middle School student showed the pistol to a classmate. The eighth-grader had the weapon and some bars of Xanax hidden inside his backpack. We’re told the classmate immediately reported the incident to school staff. The student was removed from the classroom. He’s expected to face legal consequences and the maximum school discipline. view article

Copperas Cove ISD was notified Friday evening of a threat directed at the high school. The threat, "I'm going to shoot up Copperas Cove High School on 3/20/17," was painted on the wall of a car wash on Casa Street. view article

Earlier this school year, the Magnolia Independent School District made changes to policies to further empower parents by extending their control over what their children do after school. The updated drug policy was approved in September, requiring high school students who purchase parking permits to consent to random drug testing. The policy also provides parents the ability to request a drug test for their students. view article