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

David Lothridge of Mont Belvieu represents many if not the majority of the parents in Barbers Hill Independent School District. He said the children need to be back in school. Nearly every parent with children in the district that KPRC 2 came across Thursday was in favor of sending kids back to school for in-person instruction with no delays. "You can learn more in class than on the computer," Lothridge added. view article

For 17 to 18 percent of students who attend Vidor ISD, UIL activities are now an option this school year this. Superintendent Jay Killgo and board members met Monday night to vote on allowing students who chose virtual learning the opportunity to participate in UIL activities. "It's a difficult choice, it really is," Killgo said. view article

Conroe ISD has released its plans for in-person instruction for students. Although district officials have said this plan could change due to announcements from the Texas Education Agency and Gov. Greg Abbott, it presents several new requirements for students at all levels. view article

The return to learning will be virtual for all students in the Marlin Independent School District--at first. During a special meeting of MISD's state-appointed Board of Managers Monday afternoon, the new superintendent announced the district is planning to stagger the start of in-person learning for students whose parents decide to send them back to campus instead of continuing remote learning when the school year begins. "We have a comprehensive look regarding our 2020-2021 re-entry plan," said Dr. Darryl Henson, Superintendent of Marlin Schools. view article

Alief Independent School District Superintendent HD Chambers says school officials have decided to begin the school year online. Chambers said he doesn’t want any student to lose out on their education because of the pandemic but the thought of how to bring students and teachers back to the classroom safely keeps him up at night. view article

A new petition is calling for the renaming of four Abilene ISD schools that are named after Civil War Confederate leaders. The petition, directed toward the Abilene Independent School District, it's superintendent Dr. David Young and the Board of Trustees, is aiming for 100 signatures. view article

Spring ISD held its virtual graduations Saturday, during which district officials gave encouraging words to the graduating seniors who overcame their high school struggles. The online ceremonies, an option for those not wanting to go out during the COVID-19 pandemic, were held a week before the district’s scheduled in-person graduations at Planet Ford Stadium. Rhonda Newhouse, Spring ISD Board President, was one of many members of the district to speak during the virtual graduations and told graduates part of what has made graduation special for her was the chance to look out and see the faces of all the graduates. view article

Forney ISD officials revealed today that they are aware of a video circulating social media of students taking part in underage drinking that has been deemed racists. In the snapchat video clip obtained by inForney.com, five students are shown toasting one another with bottles of liquor as they recite a chant in unison that ends with a racial slur. view article

The Terrell Independent School District and Terrell community came together to celebrate two military-bound seniors who would be unable to attend graduation ceremonies due to their scheduled leave for basic training. "Terrell ISD and the Terrell community have a long standing respect and reverence for our veterans and active duty men and women," read a statement from the district today. "It was our honor to celebrate these young men and give them the opportunity to receive their diploma in their cap and gown before leaving for basic training." view article

Fort Bend ISD launched its extended learning program, which is designed to keep young students engaged during the summer, at three of its elementary schools this week. view article

Despite announcing April 24 all end-of-year celebrations would be canceled for the school year, Tomball ISD's tentative graduation plans for July are still on, said Allison Suarez, TISD director of communications and marketing. view article

Only three days ago, a Garrison ISD volleyball coach, Lee Ann Lusk, created a Facebook page that has done nothing but sky rocket in the Nacogdoches and Shelby County communities. Creator of “Nacogdoches and Shelby County Adopt a Senior,” Lusk says she can’t believe the amount of growth that the page for supporting 2020 seniors has received. view article

For many frontline workers, finding reliable childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge. To help them out, Dallas ISD is now teaming up with a couple of non-profits to give the kids a safe place to stay while their parents are at work. view article

Days after several people in Austin and Travis County were diagnosed with coronavirus, leaders with the Austin Independent School District announced March 16 that it had canceled classes from March 23 to April 3. view article

Classes have been cancelled for Columbia-Brazoria ISD students Thursday, district officials announced. The cancellation comes after water lines in the city of Brazoria were damaged during construction work. view article

Facebook Twitter Email Print Save The Marlin City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to hire former Waco Independent School District Superintendent A. Marcus Nelson as a consultant to study the possibility of creating a charter school if the embattled Marlin school district closes this spring. view article

The Austin Independent School District’s board of trustees discussed transition plans for the four schools it voted to close at last month’s meeting at a work session Monday night. Board members asked the district to improve its communication to families and staff. Many said they want school communities to have clear and timely information about their school closing and moving to a new school.

Started as a means to get children engaged with reading outside of class, Sweeny ISD officials have begun reading books to children on social media each week with “Bulldog Bedtime Stories.” “We realize not every family has a library of books,” Sweeny Elementary Principal Michael Heinroth said. That realization prompted Heinroth to start recording himself reading books in brief videos on social media, allowing families not to have to spend money on new books, he said. view article

Having a high-paying job doesn't necessarily mean you'll have job stability, and vice versa. Some college majors that lead to high-paying jobs also come with above-average unemployment rates - and that includes majors in fields like engineering, cognitive science, and the arts. The financial-education company Bankrate found the unemployment rates for college majors, based on the most recent available data from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Using weighted data, Bankrate determined the unemployment rates and median incomes for graduates across 162 majors that employed at least 15,000 people. view article

Eagle Pass Independent School District Superintendent Samuel Mijares announced at a press conference on August 15, 2019 that all schools of the local school district will commence classes on Monday, August 26th, with over 14,000 students expected to attend during the 2019-2020 school year. Mijares noted that all local public Pre-Kindergarten schools will now be providing instruction all day from 8:15 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. as mandated by the Texas Legislature. Parents are encouraged to prepare their young children for attending school during the full day. view article

Austin Independent School District leaders will meet with parents, students and employees to discuss potential dress code changes Wednesday evening. According to our partners at the Austin American-Statesman, leaders want to remove language that unfairly targets female students and specific cultures. The last time the district's dress code was updated was more than 10 years ago in 2007. view article

Temple ISD's 2019 senior class participated in a series of mini-classes on Wednesday called "Adulting 101." view article

Due to expected severe weather this afternoon and evening, all Huffman ISD schools will have early release. Hargrave High School and Huffman Middle School will be released at 1:30 p.m. Huffman Elementary School and Falcon Ridge Elementary School will be released at 2:45. view article

Mansfield ISD is investigating after one of its students posted a video on social media showing them smearing their face with black body paint and using a racial slur, the district said in a statement Wednesday. The district said the video was posted by a Lake Ridge High School student. view article

Two proposals up for votes Monday would expand access to pre-K education for Austin ISD families. The first would use $80,000 in city funding to create up to five new 3-year-old pre-K classes inside AISD schools, expanding the capacity of district early-education classrooms from 1,120 students to 1,350 students next school year. view article

Belinda George, the Homer Drive Elementary School principal who breaks out her pajamas every Tuesday night to read a bedtime story to her students via iPhone video, will be featured on Good Morning America Friday morning. It's the latest media exposure for the Beaumont educator since she was featured in an Enterprise last month. view article

In a Trib interview, Waco ISD Superintendent A. Marcus Nelson expressed remorse for his March 6 traffic arrest for marijuana possession (less than two ounces), an incident reportedly triggered by a Houston-based friend’s suggestion on what might bring Nelson relief for chronic back pain. view article

The Burleson Independent School District is in the race to be the best in Texas. H-E-B named BISD as a top-five candidate in the large school districts category for this year’s Excellence in Education Award. The award is the largest monetary program for Texas educators and schools. view article

Staff at Somerville Elementary sprang into action when their entire school was left in the dark Wednesday. "We had to find some places to have light so they would be able to see their text books,” said Jessica Douglas, a 3rd grade teacher at Somerville Elementary. view article

In Lancaster, piggy banks are helping plant the seeds of college dreams, especially when the school district chips in $50 just to get families started. view article

Mariachi performance is a fully sanctioned University Interscholastic League event for the first time this year — a sign the Mexican ensemble style of music known for its stringed instruments, trumpets and powerful Spanish-language vocals is growing in popularity at Texas high schools. The State Mariachi Festival has been held for three years under a pilot status, but this year’s event in Edinburg later this month means the festival is here to stay. The festival’s status comes as mariachi programs appear to be growing in Texas, where Hispanic students make a growing part of the school population. “We believe that mariachi music is an important part of the heritage of many students in Texas because it is a part of their family heritage,” said Brad Kent, the UIL’s director of music. view article

On Nov. 9 Hays CISD released the draft of its innovation plan, which must be approved by the board of trustees in order to receive a district of innovation designation. If approved, the district would be able to make changes to the academic calendar and to exempt some Career and Technical Education instructors from teacher certification requirements. The district of innovation designation was created by the Texas Legislature in 2015 as a way to give independent school districts some of the flexibility that charters schools have under state law. While becoming a district of innovation can allow for numerous exemptions to curriculum or logistics requirements, the most-used exemption is the one that allows schools to start earlier in August. view article

The spirit of the Big Country was in full effect over the weekend. The Coleman High School band director, Matthew Sowell and wis wife, Jackie, the assistant director were injured in a car crash the day before UIL marching contest in Mineral Wells. "My wife and I were coming [to morning band practice] and it was raining," Matthew Sowell says. "An 18-wheeler lost control right in front of us." view article

As a forensics and biomedical sciences CTE teacher, Luna exposes her students to techniques used in real world law enforcement and crime investigations. Her lessons cover topics related to the collection of evidence including entomology, anthropology, ABO blood typing, fingerprinting, DNA, case studies, hair analysis and ballistics. view article