A Northside ISD cross country coach was hospitalized after he was struck by a vehicle while running off campus Tuesday morning, according to a district spokesperson. The district identified the coach to KSAT as Steve Barlow. Barlow leads the cross country program at Holmes High School. view article

Last school year, Liberty Hill Independent School District made the unusual move of teaching students on campus just four days a week, most weeks. Those Mondays through Thursdays on campus were longer, as the district still needed to meet the 75,600 instructional minutes requirement set by the Texas Education Agency. However, students had most Fridays off. view article

Child advocates from Texas and across the country are voicing strong opposition against proposed changes to Head Start.  The nonprofit Children At Risk held a press conference Thursday with child advocates and early childhood stakeholders to discuss the proposed overhaul and its state-by-state impacts.  Head Start programs provide free learning and development services to children from low-income families, from birth to age five.   Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families announced proposed sweeping changes to the program’s regulations. This includes removing significant federal regulations and shifting standards towards state and local requirements, decreasing allowable administrative costs from 15% to 5%, and emphasizing English-language instruction in most programs. view article

The leader of North Dakota’s public schools last week advised lawmakers to focus artificial intelligence regulations on companies providing AI and chatbots, but leave AI use in the classroom up to school boards and educators.  Levi Bachmeier, the state superintendent of schools, testifying in front of the Legislature’s artificial intelligence and data center committee, expressed concern about young students and their exposure to AI, especially chatbots, but recognized AI can be a valuable tool. His main concern stems from chatbots that act as companions and advisors to age groups that can be easily influenced.   “If I had to pick a villain, it would be companion chatbots,” Bachmeier said Thursday during a meeting held at Minot State University.  view article

As students return to school this week, Dallas ISD is hoping to fill more preschool classrooms. For the first time, every 3- and 4-year-old who lives within the district can attend pre-K for free, regardless of family income.  The expansion is part of the district's effort to attract more families while giving children an earlier start before kindergarten.  Up until this school year, free pre-K in Dallas ISD was only available for military households, low-income families, non-English-speaking learners, and children of Dallas ISD teachers. Of the more than 10,000 preschool students in the district, only, 267 families were paying for preschool last year because they did not meet the eligibility requirements, according to district. view article

Former Harmony ISD head football coach Jeremy Jenkins and his wife Brandy were killed in a car crash Saturday night. The pair’s deaths were confirmed in a statement by Courtney Hudgins, the superintendent of East Bernard ISD, where Jenkins worked as head football coach and athletic director. view article

East Bernard ISD is mourning the deaths of Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Jeremy Jenkins and his wife, Brandy Jenkins, a teacher at East Bernard Junior High School. According to a message from Superintendent Courtney Hudgins, the couple died in a car crash Saturday evening, view article

It is with profound sorrow that we learned of the passing of Tom Luce, Texas 2036’s founder and chairman emeritus. Tom was a visionary leader whose dedication to public service transformed the lives and opportunities of millions of people across our state. He firmly believed in the power of Texans coming together to address the big challenges vital for future generations to thrive, inspiring significant action and driving meaningful change across his lifetime. view article

Dallas ISD welcomed students back to school on Tuesday – but fewer than last year.  The state’s 2nd largest school district started the fall semester with about 132,000 students, down from about 134,300 last year.  Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, visiting blue ribbon Hexter Elementary School in East Dallas, said federal policies are partly to blame.  “Certainly, some policies regarding immigration have had an impact,” she said. “We think this year we're probably going to level off. We won't know until a few days from now.” view article

Buena Vista ISD is mourning the death of a student, according to a statement released by the district. The district announced the student’s passing Thursday, saying its thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, friends, classmates, teachers and others affected by the loss. view article

Students in Aldine ISD can get some realistic experience working at a hospital while still in high school. That’s what HEAL High School provides for high school students in the district as the school started its third school year on Wednesday. Aldine ISD staff and Memorial Hermann mentors welcomed the students for the first day of school. view article

The biological parents won a temporary restraining order against the surrogate, who tried to claim parental rights, and are with their baby, their attorneys say.  The baby boy at the center of an out-of-state surrogacy battle that is pitting the Texas attorney general against the California biological parents was born in Dallas on Wednesday, lawyers for the birth parents and the surrogate confirmed.  view article

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As Bryan ISD welcomes students back for the first day of school, Superintendent Ginger Carrabine sat down with KBTX to discuss the district’s momentum, upcoming changes, and key challenges for the new year. view article

Sixteen school districts across the Greater Houston area are welcoming students back to class Wednesday, with more districts set to begin the school year Thursday. In Spring Branch ISD, district police are using the final hours before the first bell to make sure campuses are secure, and officers are prepared for the return of students. view article

A dozen San Antonio-area school districts are set to welcome students back Wednesday for the new year. Those districts include Fort Sam Houston ISD, Harlandale ISD, Ingram ISD, Judson ISD, Lackland ISD, Medina Valley ISD, Natalia ISD, Pleasanton ISD, San Antonio ISD, School of Science and Technology, Somerset Academies, and Southside ISD. view article

As the bulk of Central Texas school districts head back to school Wednesday, leaders with Del Valle ISD said they’re prepared to welcome thousands of students back into their schools. Some classrooms may end up slightly more crowded than originally expected at the district’s only comprehensive high school, Del Valle High School. That’s because construction on the district’s second campus, North Del Valle High School, has been pushed back a year due to road infrastructure delays. view article

North Texas districts are opening their doors to students from neighboring communities as declining enrollment and growing school choice turn recruitment into a financial survival strategy. view article

Ingram ISD students returned to class Wednesday after floods in the Hill Country damaged 12 district buildings, forcing crews to work quickly to make classrooms safe before the first day. Superintendent Justin Turner said students can return to classrooms, though some are still in the work phase and may not be completed until winter break. view article

Chris Clark stepped into the role as Leander ISD navigates growth in some areas of the district while enrollment stabilizes in others. view article

Flour Bluff ISD leaders look ahead to a new school year as students return to class. Here’s what the district is focused on this year. view article

An affidavit obtained by WFAA identifies the suspect accused of shooting a Dallas ISD officer with the officer’s own gun in a Sam’s Club parking lot. The suspected shooter has been identified as 27-year-old Jose Santiago Pantoja-Morales. He admitted to taking Officer Justin Jones' firearm and shooting him in the leg, according to the affidavit. view article

Students returning to Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD this week will notice a major change inside their school libraries. Beginning this school year, certified librarians have been reassigned to other positions within the district, and paraprofessionals will now manage the district's 15 campus libraries. view article

Amazon is planning to build a massive data center in Pecos County, Texas. But the company says the plant would generate its own gas power. view article

State lawmakers created the TEFA program in 2025, and accepted students will receive some funding for education opportunities that include: private school tuition and fees; tutoring and therapy; homeschooling; and other services. Funding is capped at $1 billion for the first year of the program, and about 122,000 students of the over 274,000 who applied have been accepted, including 85,344 participants who have received funding. view article

Texas’ candidates in this year’s U.S. Senate race are neck and neck, according to recent polling. Since the runoff election on May 26, state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, has performed slightly better than his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton. view article

Alamo Colleges District, once a top earner under Texas’ House Bill 8 finance formula rooted in student outcomes, is now expecting to receive $3.9 million less for the upcoming 2027 fiscal year.  Community colleges across Texas outperformed the state’s expectations, exceeding the funding allocations — $441 million for fiscal year 2026 and 2027 combined — which prompted changes and new limits to the funding formula.  “They just thought we weren’t going to meet the projections, which is completely the opposite of what happened,” said Priscilla Camacho, Alamo Colleges chief legislative, industry and external relations officer. “Everybody lost money compared to what they got last year, and certainly lost money compared to what they were projected to get for fiscal year 2027.” view article

James T. Davis, 86, a longtime resident of the Centerville community in Trinity County, Texas, passed away Sunday, August 2, 2026, in Lufkin.  James T. was born December 25, 1939, in Pennington, Trinity County, Texas, to Lois T. Davis and Eula Mae Wright Davis. He loved East Texas and the Centerville community where he was raised, often speaking fondly of its beauty and of the freedom and adventure of his youth—riding horses through its pastures and piney woods and spending time at his grandfather Charlie T.’s home. During his years at Centerville High School, he excelled in both basketball and baseball and remained proud of those experiences throughout his life. He graduated in 1958 and later earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from Stephen F. Austin State University. On October 17, 1959, he married Dorothy Lee, and they shared more than 66 years of marriage. view article

Earlier this summer, nearly 160,000 applicants took the entrance exam for UNAM, Mexico’s largest university. For the first time, they did it completely remotely, using a “lockdown” browser and AI-powered webcam proctoring software, over several weeks from late May through early June.  It was a disast. When exam results came in, they bore little resemblance to past results, especially at the top. Between 2021 and 2025, 3.5 percent of test takers scored 100 or more on the 120-question UNAM test. This year, 16.3 percent did so.  The story was even worse at the highest of the high end. Between 2021 and 2025, 0.9 percent of test takers scored 110 or more; this year, 5.5 percent did so.  The surge in top scores led to accusations of widespread cheating, and UNAM appointed a commission of experts to investigate the situation. view article

The deal would give SpaceX control of an 18-mile stretch of marshland southwest of Lafayette. The site, known as Pecan Island, became available as part of a legal settlement that resolves dozens of lawsuits that blame ExxonMobil for pollution and coastal land loss, the newspaper reports. No Louisiana officials publicly commented on the deal. Nor did SpaceX. In May, however, the company said in response to rumors about the Louisiana site on X, “It’s no secret that we intend to launch Starship a lot, targeting thousands of flights per year. That cadence will require the ability to launch from many different locations, so we are constantly exploring to find viable sites to expand Starship operations in the future, both domestically and internationally.” view article

It's back to work for teachers and administrators at Richardson ISD, but before they dust off the old computer, Superintendent Tabitha Branum had a different idea. She gathered staff early Monday morning and armed them with a list of names. The list was of families who were sending their children to Richardson ISD for the first time. view article

A private company built a 100,000-camera surveillance grid, wired it so federal authorities can access it, and operated it for more than a year without a license. Is that okay? view article

A recent TikTok video caught attention online this week as Houston mother Aly Matei sparked questions about whether teachers in Cy-Fair ISD are allowed to share classroom wish lists online. view article

Houston Independent School District students will head back to class in just a few weeks, but families have more to prepare for than school supplies. The district is implementing several changes ahead of the 2026-27 school year, including campus closures, the rollout of Bluebonnet Learning at some schools and changes to free meal eligibility at dozens of campuses. view article

Many of the roughly 80,000 Texas residents in the program are facing renewal delays that can leave them undocumented, unable to legally work and exposed to possible deportation.  Growing up in Austin, all the kids in Itzayana Mondragón’s neighborhood looked pretty much like her — and spoke Spanish too.  Soon after Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, Mondragón noticed that some of her friends had stopped attending class. She would learn later that those classmates were undocumented and had returned to their home countries — some out of fear, some against their will, as Trump delivered on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration. view article