A judge sentenced a former Longview teacher’s aide to 5 years in prison Tuesday. Judge Scott Novy handed down the sentence Tuesday after Cynthia Talley pleaded guilty to three charges of injury to a child and one charge of unlawful restraint in December. Talley, 58, of Longview, along with five other educators previously employed at Longview’s J.L. Everhart Elementary, was accused in connection with the abuse of 11 disabled children spanning from 2019 through 2021. view article

Southern Methodist University in Dallas tried to declare its independence after the church voted to ban gay weddings and clergy in 2019.   view article

Paxton’s latest tour is the continuation of his efforts in the past year to get political revenge on House Republicans who supported his impeachment.   view article

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has determined that Fort Bend ISD did not violate state law with its voting incentives during the Voter Approval Tax Rate Election in 2023, although some people involved with the district at the time could potentially face bribery investigations. The ballot measure asked residents to approve a tax rate increase that would be used for teacher and staff raises as well as armed security required by an unfunded state mandate. The tax rate increase passed overwhelmingly, with 57% of the vote share. view article

The state bar sought to take away the law license of Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster over a Texas lawsuit challenging 2020 presidential election results.   view article

A former Round Rock ISD teacher resigned after admitting to intentionally tripping a 5-year-old student with autism at a Head Start program, according to an arrest affidavit. Lynn Shin, who was hired in August 2024, resigned on October 1 after being placed on administrative leave following the September 26 incident at WBCO Head Start in Round Rock. view article

Charges have been filed against a former Round Rock ISD teacher accused of intentionally tripping a nonverbal student. According to an affidavit, Lynn Shin was charged with misdemeanor assault of an elderly or disabled victim following an incident at Round Rock Head Start's campus in September. view article

A Jackson County grand jury has indicted former Edna ISD teacher and coach Logan Allen O'Connor. He was arrested and accused on charges of Online Solicitation of a Minor, Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student, and Sexual Performance of a Child – Employ, Induce, or Authorize. Online Solicitation of a Minor is a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison. The charges of Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student and Sexual Performance of a Child carry penalties of 2 to 20 years in prison. view article

More than four years after he was caught with a box full of fraudulently obtained mail-in ballots, Carrollton mayoral candidate Zul Mohamed pleaded guilty Monday to 109 voter fraud felonies. view article

A 33-year-old former West Texas middle school band director who manipulated girls online to send him explicit images was sentenced Thursday in Lubbock to 30 years in prison. Joshua Alexander Carroll, who worked at Wall Independent School District, faced 15 to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty in August to a count of production of child pornography. Wall is a community of about 200 people near San Angelo. view article

Montgomery County Constables arrested a former Austin-area educator Thursday morning for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material, according to a press release issued Thursday evening. view article

An assistant band director of Wall Independent School District has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for Production of Child Pornography. According to the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office, underage girls at Wall ISD received sexually explicit messages and pornographic images from 33-year-old Joshua Alexander Carroll. He also attempted to solicit sexually explicit photos from those minors. view article

In a press conference Thursday, Austin ISD leaders said they are making strides in fixing issues within the district's special education department, a program that some employees previously called a "toxic work environment." It comes more than a year after the Texas Education Agency (TEA) ordered the school district to address a backlog of evaluations that kept some students waiting months to enter the special education program. view article

Del Valle ISD faces a lawsuit by employees who allege the district failed to protect them and others from a former employee, who they claim installed a hidden camera in a restroom. The case is brought by 35 current and former DVISD employees. Their names were withheld from the lawsuit to avoid retaliation by the district. view article

More than 30 current and former Del Valle ISD employees are suing the district after hidden cameras were found placed in school bathrooms. Juan Manuel Del Toro, a custodian arrested in 2022, was accused of secretly recording staff members at the Del Valle Opportunity Center. view article

Austin Independent School District leaders said on Thursday they plan to get a new data system to track more than 13,000 students who receive special education services. The change comes as the district’s special education department enters its second year under state intervention. view article

Hours of secretly recorded videos and phone calls have offered a rare glimpse into how the longest-serving legislative leader in American history operated behind closed doors   view article

A student was taken away in handcuffs at Deer Park High School Wednesday after allegedly being caught with a gun. Deer Park ISD told ABC13 they got an anonymous tip through their alert system stating the student had a gun and that the tipster even gave the student's name. view article

Arrest records indicate an agriculture teacher at Henderson ISD is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. Kathryn Laraine Prior, 35, of Henderson, is charged with possession of child pornography, indecency with a child and improper relationship between an educator and student. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KLTV through an open records request, Henderson police were informed of the crime on Tuesday. The affidavit states police received information that Prior exchanged inappropriate photos with the victim, exchanged inappropriate text messages with the victim and had inappropriate contact with the victim. view article

Del Valle ISD is facing a lawsuit from nearly three dozen employees who say a former head custodian hid cameras in staff restrooms at an alternative high school between 2020 and 2022. During that time, the man allegedly collected invasive photos from the recordings. view article

Nearly three dozen anonymous "Jane Doe" and "John Doe" plaintiffs are suing Del Valle ISD and a former custodian who worked in the district after they say the custodian hid cameras in restrooms at a district facility. The lawsuit states that on Dec. 7, 2022, a contractor installing vape detectors in the district's restrooms discovered a pouch hanging from the ceiling of a restroom at the Del Valle Opportunity Center. The pouch contained four USB drives and three micro-SD cards. view article

The press conference was set to address allegations of assault and racial profiling involving an African American student and his mother. The incident reportedly occurred on November 5, 2024, when the student claimed he was assaulted by a school staff member while at lunch. view article

A former Southlake Carroll ISD superintendent is suing the district, alleging the district breached their voluntary retirement agreement with him, leading him to receive a lower payout in retirement benefits from the Teacher Retirement System. David Faltys served as Carroll ISD’s superintendent from 2006 until 2021. Faltys filed the lawsuit Monday in Tarrant County District Court. view article

A former superintendent at Carroll ISD sued the district Monday after alleging it paid him lower retirement benefits than what was agreed upon in his contract. David Faltys, who served as superintendent for 15 years before stepping down in 2021, claims in the suit the district breached its voluntary retirement agreement with him. A district member at the time told Faltys an issue with his retirement payout was made by the Teacher Retirement System, not by the district, according to the suit. view article

A federal judge has blocked a Biden-Harris administration rule that required health insurance coverage for those brought across the border illegally as children. view article

According to a statement from Henderson ISD administration, the district was informed Tuesday of a report made to authorities of a Henderson High School teacher allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student. After an initial investigation by the police department, the district was advised that the teacher was arrested. HISD says they immediately placed the teacher on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the matter. view article

Henderson ISD released a statement Tuesday evening regarding a teacher having an inappropriate relationship with a student. "Henderson ISD was informed today of a report made to authorities of a Henderson High School teacher allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student. After an initial investigation by the police department, we were advised that the teacher was arrested. HISD immediately placed the teacher on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of this matter. HISD is fully cooperating with local law enforcement and remains committed to the safety and security of our students," read the statement. view article

The Texas Education Agency is considering whether to replace the South San ISD’s board of trustees with appointed board managers. “What happens to the old board? Do they have anything, any repercussions?” asked a woman attending the TEA and South San ISD meeting. view article

Newly released video shows a man assaulting a Richardson ISD bus driver in front of a bus full of children. view article

Former Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Christie Whitbeck filed a lawsuit against one former trustee and two current trustees Wednesday, alleging defamation and breach of contract. The suit comes just one year after Whitbeck signed a voluntary retirement agreement with the district. view article

Attorneys for two Southlake families are pressing the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to release findings from an investigation into civil rights violations in the Carroll Independent School District. The demand stems from complaints dating back to 2021 alleging race and sex discrimination within the district. According to the families, students endured racial slurs, sexist harassment and physical attacks with little or no intervention from school officials. In one case, a student was allegedly called the N-word and other degrading terms. Another student allegedly faced both verbal and physical harassment. view article

Former Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Christie Whitbeck is suing the district and some trustees for defamation and breach of contract. The announcement comes exactly one year after the board approved her early retirement and she was forced out of the role. view article

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is investigating whether 50 North Texas teachers were involved in a statewide teacher certification scheme. The investigation started last year when the TEA noticed that some educators from different parts of the state who failed the exam were suddenly passing it after taking it again in the Houston area. view article

A former South San Antonio Independent School District trustee has filed a lawsuit accusing the district of violating his civil rights, including having him arrested as an intimidation tactic. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in San Antonio federal court, alleges that South San ISD officials carried out an unlawful scheme last year to retaliate against the trustee for speaking out at board meetings. view article

Several Southeast Texas teachers have been listed in an investigation by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for a "teacher-certification cheating scheme" that allowed uncertified teachers to work in local school districts. Our media partners KPRC2 reports the alleged scheme, reportedly grossing over a million dollars, involved falsifying credentials to secure teaching positions for individuals who did not meet certification requirements, according to the District Attorney’s office. view article