McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — The three Border Patrol sectors in South Texas saw huge drops in migrant encounters in Fiscal Year 2024 from Fiscal 2023, according to new data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  The Rio Grande Valley Sector, which includes McAllen and Brownsville, saw a decrease of 60 percent in migrants encountered between legal ports of entry in Fiscal Year 2024. The RGV Sector reported 135,099 migrant encounters from Oct. 1, 2023 through Sept. 30, 2024. That’s down from 338,337 encounters in Fiscal 2023, according to CBP year-end data released Tuesday. view article

Within the span of five months, four employees working for the El Paso Independent School District police department have been arrested for various charges. The four employees are: view article

The Texas attorney general is refuting claims by critics who say a death row inmate was unjustifiably convicted in the death of his toddler child.  In the Wednesday night statement posted online from his office, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he released the original autopsy report and other records about the case of Robert Roberson to rebut the "lies" from state Reps. Jeff Leach and Joe Moody.  Paxton is a Republican, while Leach is also a Republican and Moody is a Democrat.  Roberson was convicted for the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis. He has maintained his innocence since his trial. Prosecutors argued at the trial that the child's death was caused by head trauma from being violently shaken. Roberson's attorneys, however, maintain that the bruising on the girl's body was likely due to pneumonia, not child abuse.  Texas holds hearing about law prohibiting 'junk science' in court cases  It was eventually revealed that the child had pneumonia at he time of her death, and now state legislators and activists are claiming the accusation that she died from being shaken is “junk science.” view article

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has released the identify of a man who allegedly intended to carry out a child abduction on the school campus. Kevin Ramirez, 31, of New Summerfield is in custody after the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a tip he was in the school pick-up line, armed and planning to abduct three children, according to a release. view article

A Carroll ISD middle school teacher is on leave after being accused of having an improper relationship with a former student, the district says. The district said Keller police arrested 45-year-old Carroll Middle School teacher Angela Barnes without incident following an investigation into claims she'd been involved with a minor last summer. view article

Law enforcement has identified the man accused of trying to kidnap children while in the pickup line at a New Summerfield ISD campus. Kevin Ramirez, 31, of New Summerfield, is charged with unlawful carrying of a firearm and assault family violence. view article

The Texas governor had not publicly shared his thoughts on the actions of a bipartisan group of lawmakers that stopped the scheduled execution of Robert Roberson. view article

A Southlake teacher was arrested Monday on complaints of sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between an educator and a student, according to Keller Public Safety. Keller police said they were told in late September that Angela Barnes, 45, a teacher at Carroll Middle School, was having an “inappropriate relationship with an underage boy who was a former student.” view article

A former high school principal in Katy ISD is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old student earlier this month. Mayde Creek High School assistant principal Adrian Lee Berg has since resigned following the Oct. 3 incident and is charged with injury to a child. view article

Parents accused a gym teacher at Brentwood STEAM School of Innovation of bullying and assaulting their 11-year-old daughter, and the outcry on social media drew a crowd to the next Edgewood Independent School District board meeting. There, the rally on behalf of Angelann Carrasco, the daughter of Carolann Reyes and Angel Carrasco, came up against board rules that limit public comments to items on the meeting agenda. A few speakers tailored their remarks to student mental health to castigate the gym teacher alleged to have grabbed Angelann by the arm for wearing a plain T-shirt rather than the required collared school uniform shirt. view article

An assistant principal at Mayde Creek High School has been charged with injuring a student after surveillance footage captured him pushing and tackling the 14-year-old girl. Adrian Lee Berg has been charged with assaulting a student following an Oct. 3 incident on campus. Katy ISD has confirmed that Berg is no longer employed with the school district, but so far has not answered questions about when he became a former employee or commented on the allegations. view article

Several videos have emerged raising questions about the conduct of a Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District officer. Concerned parents shared footage with KPRC 2 from a recent altercation at Cypress Springs High School, which has sparked a debate for multiple reasons. In a 42-second clip, the officer is seen attempting to break up a fight by grabbing a student, lifting him, and forcefully slamming him to the ground. The student’s mother, along with others, has since voiced concerns about excessive force, accusing the district of covering up for the officer. view article

The Texas Education Agency has cleared acting Houston school district Superintendent Mike Miles of wrongdoing after he was accused of improperly diverting millions of dollars in state funds to his Colorado charter school system. After reporting from Spectrum News and The Texas Observer prompted calls for an investigation earlier this year, the education agency concluded on Tuesday that neither Miles — who the agency picked to lead the state’s largest school district last year — nor his charter school network, Third Future Schools, “violated any applicable Texas laws,” according to the 29-page investigation report. view article

A judge blocked Grand Prairie ISD’s Board of Trustees from terminating its contract with embattled Superintendent Jorge Arredondo Monday. Grand Prairie ISD Superintendent Arredondo was placed on leave in September after just three months on the job and the board announced an investigation into his conduct. The move left many residents with questions about why he was placed on leave. view article

20-year-old Malachi Knight Boyle says he's the victim mentioned in court documents that spell out what happened on September 27 at Bryan Tigner's apartment. Tigner is an assistant principal at Westbury High School, which is where Boyle says he met him a couple of years ago while in his senior year. view article

An Edgewood ISD parent brought forward claims of abuse at her child’s middle school during Tuesday’s school board meeting. Carolann Reyes alleges a teacher at Brentwood STEAM School of Innovation taunted and physically assaulted her daughter. view article

Some Denton ISD parents are addressing the treatment of their children receiving special education services, claiming their federally protected rights are being violated. They are seeking help from the federal government and calling for a Texas Education Agency (TEA) audit. Tanya East believes her 4-year-old son, who has autism, is being discriminated against at his Denton ISD school. "Sadly, I feel that I need to come forward and speak up because unless we speak up, we're not heard," she said. view article

At least 1.7 million special interest aliens have entered the country under the Biden-Harris administration.  Texas Department of Public Safety officers apprehended a large group of illegal border crossers, including 23 unaccompanied children and 22 special interest aliens.  The groups crossed onto private property in Maverick County, as reported by Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesman for DPS.  Olivarez posted that of the 23 unaccompanied children, 16 were boys, and seven were girls. The 22 special interest aliens were from Egypt and Turkey.  A special interest alien is someone who is identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a potential national security threat due to analysis of their travel patterns and country of origin. view article

Shelby County law enforcement arrested a minor Wednesday in connection with a possible threat towards Center ISD. According to a post from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, they were informed of the threat by the FBI. Law enforcement arrived at the suspect’s address and made the arrest around 8:30 p.m. according to the post. view article

A Woodville Independent School District teacher has been arrested and is no longer employed at the district. On October 3, 2024, the district was told that Zachary Truelove, who worked at the middle and high school campuses, was arrested after an investigation that "does not relate to school-based conduct or students of WISD", according to the district. view article

In a letter sent to parents and staff, Cedar Hill ISD confirmed that it is investigating a video that reportedly shows a high school administrator "engaging in inappropriate behavior" with a student at a school event. According to the letter sent out by Cedar Hill High School Principal Lee Joffre, the video has been circulating online. However, it was not revealed for how long. view article

An administrative shake-up at Houston ISD’s Harvard Elementary has left the principal, Dr. Shelby Calabrese, on leave. The district has been vague about why. Community members have taken to social media, expressing mixed reactions and concerns over the leadership transition. Harvard Elementary parents plan to attend Thursday night’s HISD meeting with posters showing support for Dr. Calabrese. view article

Local law enforcement detained a student accused of making a school shooting threat Wednesday night, Center ISD officials said. According to Superintendent Brian Morris, at around 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday the FBI notified the district’s police chief of a potential threat of a school shooting. Chief Pete Low worked with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Safety to address the issue, Morris said. view article

Spring ISD administrators say they have placed two teachers and two aides from an elementary classroom on administrative leave while they investigate parents' claims that children were given stickers containing sleeping supplements. Melissa Gomez, whose 4-year-old child is in a preschool class at Northgate Elementary, said she wants more information from the district and wants staff to be held accountable. view article

Two Spring ISD teachers were placed on administrative leave after some parents said their children were given a sleeping aid patch. Some Northgate Crossing Elementary School parents are furious after finding this out and said they noticed changes in their children's behavior, like a loss of appetite, crying and tiredness. According to a statement from Spring ISD, they said they are aware of the allegations which occurred on September 24. view article

An investigation is underway after Spring ISD teachers were accused of giving elementary special stickers that are believed to be sleeping aids. The district said two Northgate Crossing Elementary School teachers were removed from class and placed on administrative leave as police investigate the allegations. It's not out of the ordinary for Lisa Luviano's daughter to come home from school with something to show. view article

A Snyder ISD mother claims her daughter, who's in the first grade and has gallbladder issues, gets punished for using the bathroom too much at Snyder Primary School. “My daughter came home from school telling me if she asked to use the bathroom more than twice she has to write sentences,” Courtney Alvarez said. view article

A former Wimberley Independent School District teacher filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against seven officials, alleging wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution. David Schachter, 55, was arrested in Sept. 2022 on charges of Class C Misdemeanor offensive touching. According to his attorney, Rebecca Webber, he was acquitted by a jury on Sept. 26, 2023. view article

A former Bastrop ISD teacher was sentenced to two years of community supervision following incidents involving students in 2021 and 2022. Roy Franks Sr. pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault by contact in June, according to court documents. He was sentenced to two years of community supervision. Two charges of improper relationship between educator and student were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. view article

A Comal Independent School District teacher has been arrested and charged with improper relationship with a student, according to the Comal County Sheriff’s Office. Jennifer Massey, 51, is a teacher at Davenport High School, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. At 6 p.m. Thursday, deputies arrived at an under-construction home in the 22000 block of Citadel Point in Garden Ridge for reports of a suspicious person. view article

A former Northside Independent School District teacher was sentenced to 192 months in prison on Friday for distribution of child pornography. According to court documents, 63-year-old Thomas Mckinley Koog Jr. uploaded a one minute video on a social media website of two minors engaged in sexual acts. view article

IDEA Public Schools told a Travis County district court that blocking school ratings hurts charter school networks like them.  The largest charter school network in Texas is intervening in a lawsuit that has temporarily blocked the Texas Education Agency from releasing academic accountability ratings for the 2023-2024 school year.  "We are standing up for the right of Texas families to access information they need to make decisions about their children's education and for the public's right to hold schools accountable for their performance," IDEA Public Schools CEO and Superintendent Jeff Cottrill said in a statement released Thursday evening.  IDEA is petitioning the court to allow TEA to release the ratings, which gives schools and districts A-F letter grades based on the agency's calculation of their academic performance. view article

The attorney general argues that the popular short form video app has not complied with a new state law that seeks to protect children who are active online.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TikTok on Thursday for sharing and selling minors’ personal information, violating a new state law that seeks to protect children who are active on social media, accusations that the company denied hours later.  The Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act prohibits social media companies from sharing or selling a minor’s personal information unless a parent or guardian approves. The law, which was passed by the Legislature last year and partially went into effect Sept. 1, also requires companies to create tools that let verified parents supervise their minor child’s account.  Paxton argues in the legal filing that TikTok, a short-form video app, has failed to comply with these requirements. Although TikTok has a “family pairing” feature that allows parents to link their account to their teen’s account and set controls, parents don’t have to verify their identity using a “commercially reasonable method,” as required by Texas law. The minor also has to consent to the pairing. view article

The attorney general argues that the popular short form video app has not complied with a new state law that seeks to protect children who are active online.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TikTok on Thursday for sharing and selling minors’ personal information, violating a new state law that seeks to protect children who are active on social media, accusations that the company denied hours later.  The Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act prohibits social media companies from sharing or selling a minor’s personal information unless a parent or guardian approves. The law, which was passed by the Legislature last year and partially went into effect Sept. 1, also requires companies to create tools that let verified parents supervise their minor child’s account.

Schertz Police are investigating claims a substitute teacher assaulted two more students in Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (SCUC ISD). This report comes nearly a week after a substitute teacher was arrested by Cibolo Police. 42-year-old Yorllin Hernandez is accused of injuring two students at Barbara Jordan Intermediate School. view article