Wynn Rosser will be in charge of guiding the state’s postsecondary education policies. He currently leads a foundation focused on rural East Texas and previously worked at Texas A&M.   view article

State Sen. Tan Parker’s legislation would establish a Homeland Security Division within the Texas Department of Public Safety.   view article

The porn industry’s attorney argued that the state’s age verification law unduly burdens adults who want to view sexually explicit content online.   view article

A newly released investigation has uncovered that a Dallas-area school district may be allowing biological boys to room with girls on school field trips.  view article

Along with 22 other states, Texas is seeking to bar the final rule from taking effect on January 17. view article

Benbrook’s children learn in some of Texas’ finest big-city schools. The problem is, some townfolk no longer want fine big-city schools. They want small-town schools. The brick schoolhouses wouldn’t change. Neither would the surrounding community. view article

Houston ISD put the brakes on a North Houston elementary school that was charging parents a fee for picking up their children late.Herrera Elementary School, in Houston's Northside, was busted by the district for charging parents $1 per minute for pickups 30 minutes past the 3 p.m. dismissal time. Some parents spoke out about the charges after one family received a bill for $62 after picking up her two children 31 minutes late from the school on Bennington St. in North Houston. Payment was expected the next day—only cash or money orders were accepted. view article

 Veery Interesting thoughts from a sitting state representative  -  This video is Representative James Talarico (D) of Travis County — a former teacher   view article

Snyder ISD decided late Wednesday night to shut down classes on Thursday after receiving threats via email. According to the school district shortly after 11:00 pm on Wednesday, Snyder ISD school board members received an email with specific threats against Snyder ISD. The Snyder Police Department was immediately contacted, and several law enforcement agencies are actively investigating the situation. Authorities do not yet have enough information or time to issue an ALL CLEAR before the start of school today. view article

Iola ISD is canceling classes at the end of the week due to a “significant number of absences.” The district said it was seeing a higher number of absences among both students and staff. Classes will be canceled for Thursday and Friday, Jan. 16-17 and reconvene next Monday, Jan. 20. view article

Livingston ISD announced the appointment of a new interim superintendent Wednesday. The Livingston Board of Trustees elected Janan Moore during a special meeting on Tuesday, according to an online release. “I am pleased to announce Janan Moore as our Interim Superintendent,” said Board President Andrew Boyce. “Mrs. Moore has a wealth of knowledge and experience in our district, which will lead our staff as we search for the next superintendent of Livingston ISD.” view article

Georgetown ISD administrators say the district is able to reach all of its staff and families of students after changing communication platforms in 2024. What you need to know In a Jan. 7 workshop, administrators provided an update on the implementation of ParentSquare, a communication platform made for school districts to communicate with parents and community members via email, text and app communications. Melinda Brasher, GISD's executive director of community engagement and communications, said the app replaced School Messenger for GISD in summer 2024 and has increased the district's reach when sending messages out to students, parents and staff. view article

Arlington police are investigating a Monday evening shooting that left one person dead at an apartment complex. At about 5:50 p.m., officers responded to the 2400 block of Laurelwood Drive on reports of a shooting. There, officers found a 19-year-old man lying in the parking lot with a gunshot wound. view article

Superintendent James Hockenberry discussed the district’s plans for a day care facility during the Lufkin ISD board of trustees’ monthly work session Tuesday morning in the Brookhollow Elementary School library. LISD will officially post the job opening for day care director in February, after which the district will build out the facility with certifications and furniture for roughly two months. view article

The Family Resource Center is designed to eliminate barriers to economic independence for families, promote stability in students’ homes, and empower families to focus on academic excellence and educational opportunities. The center provides a wide range of services to support parents and families of TISD students, as well as students who are expectant parents. view article

Only part of Texas’ new Bluebonnet Learning curriculum will blossom in Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD. Trustees in December agreed to adopt the math portion of the state-developed instructional materials for kindergarten through eighth grade. They did not, however, take up the state’s new optional reading materials that fold biblical stories into lessons because of concerns about some reading passages and the State Board of Education’s narrow approval vote. view article

Last semester, Miss Dudley’s Small Animal Management class at Caldwell ISD helped make toys for animals at Aggieland Humane Society. These students worked together to create fun toys for our four legged friends in need. Way to go Hornets! view article

Timur Praliev was reportedly carrying a Russian passport, a drone, and cash with him as he crossed the river.   view article

BASTROP COUNTY – From the outside, nothing appears to be special about the house at the end of Earhardt Road. view article

While no official decisions have been made, a new Facebook page is offering a comedic glimpse at a future when the Keller school district sheds some of its schools. On Jan. 8, city of Fort Worth leaders and school district parents expressed skepticism about a proposed plan to divide the district, which will be discussed in a private meeting Jan. 16. “Where your kids go when Keller ISD decides you’re on the wrong side of the track,.” the Alliance Independent School District Facebook page intro reads, referring to the Union Pacific Railroad line along Denton Highway that serves as the border between Fort Worth and Keller. view article

Just hours after two Keller ISD trustees expressed dismay over a plan to detach a portion of their district to establish a new independent school district, two other members of the board confirmed a meeting date to discuss and take possible action regarding the change, according to statements issued Jan. 9. view article

The investigation of the bomb threats at a San Antonio area district is ongoing as officials and police search the campuses on Friday, January 10. Poteet Independent School District sent its students home around 9 a.m. after receiving the threats via email. view article

Keller ISD is considering a controversial plan to split into two separate districts. The proposal, which was revealed during a closed session on Dec. 19, has sparked significant community concern and debate. The Keller ISD Board of Trustees will discuss the feasibility of the split at a special executive meeting on Thursday. view article

Keller ISD is set to talk about potentially splitting the district in two during a closed-door meeting on Thursday. view article

While thousands will make their way to South Padre Island on Wednesday for the seventh Starship launch by SpaceX, the traffic congestion will cause problems for students getting out of school at that same time. Just as the rocket gets ready to launch around 4 p.m., the Port Isabel Independent School District will be releasing 2,000 students at the end of the school day. The dismissal time ranges from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and then there are afterschool activities to contend with. view article

The Harris County LGBTQTIA+ Commission is planning a “banned book” fair. view article

In recent years university presidents have been facing growing political pressures, student and faculty pushback and an increasingly demanding job.   view article

For 10 years, Glenn Hegar has served as the state’s comptroller, a role that includes being treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator.   In January, Hegar will announce the state’s biennial revenue estimate, which will tell state lawmakers how much they’ll have to spend when they write a new two-year budget in 2025. What will be the key takeaways and recommendations from that estimate? view article

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), nearly 100 groups dedicated to hate and anti-government ideals called the Lone Star State home by the end of 2023; only California and Florida surpassed Texas with 117 and 114 groups, respectively. Eighteen of those groups operate statewide, the nonprofit civil rights organization claims, and over a dozen are headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  view article

Two Keller school board members issued statements late Thursday afternoon saying that they are opposed to a plan to split the Keller school district. Chelsea Kelly and Joni Shaw Smith said that they hope the board will “pause” the process to split the district. They urged a transparent approach that includes collaboration and community debate. “I am not OK with this,” Kelly wrote in the Jan. 9 statement posted on Facebook. “I am not OK with the way this has been rolled out or that our community has had no input on this idea.” Kelly said the board discussed the plan in one closed meeting, which was the first time they had heard about it. view article

The Keller ISD school board will consider a plan to split the district into two — a decision that has left officials, parents and board trustees split. The potential split was confirmed by multiple Keller trustees, Fort Worth Councilman Charlie Lauersdorf and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. According to Lauersdorf, the mere consideration of a split is the only thing that will be discussed. view article

Aldine ISD’s school board expects to vote in February on whether to close seven schools, as the district continues to face budget issues brought on by declining enrollment and no major increases in state funding. District administrators recommended during a board workshop Tuesday that trustees close two early education campuses, four elementary schools and a middle school ahead of the 2025-26 school year. Administrators said the campuses were chosen after considering numerous factors, including current enrollment size, student demographics, building issues and academic ratings. view article

El Paso-area school districts continue to monitor weather conditions as more snow is expected to fall into the early morning hours of Friday, Jan. 10. The region will continue to be under a Winter Weather Advisory for on and off snow showers until at least 5 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Dry and chilly conditions are expected by Friday afternoon and into the weekend. view article

Hutto ISD will hold an election this May with three at-large positions on the board of trustees up for reelection. These positions are currently held by Board President Billie Logiudice, Vice President Shannon Jacobs and Terrence Owens. view article

Here are statements and announcements from various schools in the Smith County area as wintry weather makes its way into the region. Some were closed Thursday while others remained open, but as winter weather continues, schools are making plans for Friday. view article