Sheldon ISD 3rd grade teacher, among 20 federal arrests, accused of drug dealing during class

A third-grade teacher was arrested after federal agents say they caught her on a wiretap dealing drugs while in class. That's just one of 20 arrests announced Thursday, as law enforcement officers revealed what they call a crackdown on violent gangs that has been two years in the making. "Cocaine, meth, machine guns, and gangs," U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said to start off the press conference. "It's a recipe whose consequences play out on the streets of Houston every day and every night." view article

Austin ISD Election Season Is Underway

The field is set for Austin ISD’s board of trustees election in November. Lynn Boswell and Kevin Foster drew no challengers for their reelection bids, so we don’t need to talk about them. However, Ofelia Maldonado Zapata and Noelita Lugo, the board’s two Hispanic members, have decided not to run again. Eight candidates are vying to replace them. view article

From mixing to cooking, Boerne ISD Culinary Arts program prepares students for rewarding careers

As the school year progresses, Boerne Independent School District continues to highlight its commitment to providing students with real-world skills. Among its standout programs is the Culinary Arts program, now thriving in its 10th year. This initiative not only enriches students’ educational experiences but also equips them with practical skills that can lead to rewarding careers. view article

Seguin ISD announces new director of communications

There is a new person who will be sharing the stories of the Seguin ISD. The school district is announcing Emily Allen to its staff. Allen is the new Seguin ISD director of communications. Allen replaces Sean Hoffmann who for years served in that role. Having come on board just days before the start of school, Allen has had no time to get her feet wet and has already covered a record number of events this fall. As a former executive producer at KSAT 12 in San Antonio, Allen brings 13 years of experience to the local school district. view article

Austin ISD high school student brought gun to school: district

Austin ISD police arrested a high school student accused of bringing a gun to a campus in South Austin. Austin ISD said it happened on Thursday, August 29, at Akins Early College High School. view article

Dan Patrick starts Texas Senate leadership political action committee

New group plans to support policy goals of the conservative Senate majority.  Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced on Wednesday the creation of a new political action committee dedicated to advancing the goals of the conservative majority in the Texas Senate.  The new PAC will be called the Texas Senate Leadership Fund. No money has been received yet, said Allen Blakemore, a spokesperson for Patrick.  “There are other PACs where donors may support the work done by various House and Senate Caucuses and even to support the mission of House Leadership,” Patrick said in a news release. “But, until now, there hasn’t been a place to support the work on the Texas Senate Leadership in fulfilling its goals. In order to ensure the resources to support the mission of the conservative majority in the Texas Senate, I have launched this new political action committee.”Patrick said in his statement that the Senate has led on issues like border security, property taxes, Second Amendment rights and voter integrity. He said the chamber has also led on education, health and infrastructure. view article

Houston Democrats to Mike Miles: We will not ‘get out of the way’

Houston Democrats to M: We will not 'get out of the way'

Election experts cautious as Abbott touts voter roll purge

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Monday that the state has removed roughly a million people from its voter rolls since he signed a legislative overhaul of election laws in 2021. “Illegal voting in Texas will never be tolerated. We will continue to actively safeguard Texans’ sacred right to vote while also aggressively protecting our elections from illegal voting,” he said. However, election experts point out that both federal and state law already required voter roll maintenance, and the governor’s framing of this routine process as a protection against illegal voting could be used to undermine trust in elections. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 already governs how states should keep their registration rolls accurate and up-to-date, and also includes protections to avoid the inadvertent removal of properly registered voters. “Year after year, people are taken off the voting rolls for all manner of innocuous reasons,” said Sarah Xiyi Chen, an attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project. view article

Autistic 4-year-old left on Dallas ISD bus for 7 hours

The parents of a Dallas ISD preschooler are outraged that their 4-year-old was left alone on a hot school bus for hours. "I depended on them. I trusted them with my child and they dropped the ball. I’m just thankful I still have her," said Robert Pruitt. Pruitt's 4-year-old daughter Araiya is a preschool student at Clinton P. Russell Elementary School in Dallas ISD. view article

Dallas ISD preschooler left alone on school bus for hours

Parents of a Dallas ISD preschooler say they’re traumatized and want answers on how their 4-year-old daughter was left alone on a school bus for hours. Instead of arriving at school, the family says the child ended up miles away and left unattended in 95-degree heat. “She could have lost her life,” Keturah Crockett said about her daughter. view article

Dallas ISD preschooler left alone on school bus for hours

Parents of a Dallas ISD preschooler say they’re traumatized and want answers on how their 4-year-old daughter was left alone on a school bus for hours. Instead of arriving at school, the family says the child ended up miles away and left unattended in 95-degree heat. view article

Sealy ISD bus driver accused of forcing students to close windows on bus with no air conditioning

Parents are demanding answers after a Sealy ISD bus driver allegedly denied allowing students to let their windows down in an un-air-conditioned vehicle when temperatures were in the triple digits. Parents said on Thursday, Aug. 22, when temperatures were between 108 to 112 degrees, a bus driver deliberately turned onto a dirt road and started driving slowly while students sat on the bus, which was reportedly not air-conditioned, with their windows up complaining about not being able to breathe. view article

Katy ISD amends library policy for the fourth time to ban more content

The Katy ISD school board has amended its library policy three times since it went into effect about a year ago. Now, a fourth change adds books on gender fluidity to the list of banned content. "Gender fluidity materials are complex, confusing and should be addressed with parental guidance. Not suitable for lower grades," Katy ISD School Board President Victor Perez said. view article

‘Everything came back negative’: Pearland ISD student says he is being punished for THC vape he didn’t even have

A Pearland student says he was singled out and punished for a vape that he didn’t even have. The family not only says they have proof their son is innocent, but also say the school’s explanation for punishing him just isn’t adding up. Rodney Bonham Jr. is a senior and star football player at Glenda Dawson High School in Pearland. He says he stays out of trouble and focuses on maintaining his 3.6 GPA, but now he’s been placed in in-school suspension and will soon be temporarily transferred to an alternative school — over a THC vape he claims he never had. view article

Hardin ISD suspends employee after allegations of inappropriate relationship with student

Hardin Independent School District (Hardin ISD) recently received information indicating that one of its employees is alleged to have engaged in inappropriate behavior with a student from another school district. Upon learning of these allegations, Hardin ISD took action, suspending the employee in question pending the outcome of an investigation. view article

Fort Bend ISD passes new book removal policy, giving superintendent power to decide what stays in library

Fort Bend ISD trustees passed a controversial policy Monday night that gives the superintendent more power over books in schools. Previously, if a parent complained about a library book, it would be reviewed by a committee. That decision could be appealed to a district-wide committee, and finally, the school board. Now, complaints will go directly to the superintendent. view article

Who Wrote Texas’s Million Dollar, Bible-Infused Curriculum? The State Won’t Say

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Texas State Police Gear Up for Massive Expansion of Surveillance Tech

verything is bigger in Texas—including state police contracts for surveillance tech. In June, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) signed an acquisition plan for a 5-year, nearly $5.3 million contract for a controversial surveillance tool called Tangles from tech firm PenLink, according to records obtained by the Texas Observer through a public information request. The deal is nearly twice as large as the company’s $2.7 million two-year contract with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Tangles is an artificial intelligence-powered web platform that scrapes information from the open, deep, and dark web. Tangles’ premier add-on feature, WebLoc, is controversial among digital privacy advocates. Any client who purchases access to WebLoc can track different mobile devices’ movements in a specific, virtual area selected by the user, through a capability called “geofencing.” Users of software like Tangles can do this without a search warrant or subpoena. (In a high-profile ruling, the Fifth Circuit view article

Ken Paxton’s vote harvesting investigation in South Texas renews questions over politiqueras

Since the 2020 election, Texas Republicans have dramatically rewritten the state’s voting laws, which have made some long-standing practices illegal.  

Billy Leo, who died in 2018, was at one point mayor of La Joya, a Rio Grande Valley city of about 4,600 people, and Hidalgo County clerk — among several other public roles he held in South Texas.

As a politician and civic leader, he also was influential in popularizing the focus on absentee voter turnout in local races here.

To help increase voter turnout starting in the mid-1980s, he hired campaign workers to engage elderly residents and help them vote by mail. Such campaign workers came to be known locally as “politiqueras,” though Leo moved away from the term when it became associated with unscrupulous strategies such as paying for votes, his wife said.

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Fort Worth school board approves closing the district’s last sixth grade campus

Fort Worth school board members voted Tuesday to close McLean Sixth Grade Center and consolidate it into McLean Middle School, about three months after trustees tabled voting on multiple consolidation plans involving seven middle school campuses. Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article291576275.html#storylink=cpy view article

Fort Worth mayor Mattie Parker says Fort Worth ISD lacks leadership and must change

Whether it's a school board or a city council, it's a common occurrence: people getting upset and demanding change. Tuesday, the person at the microphone during Fort Worth ISD's Board meeting was none other than the mayor. Mayor Mattie Parker presented the board members with a letter, bearing her signature along with that of 30 community members, including former Mayor Betsey Price. The letter criticizes Fort Worth Independent School District's performance, highlighting its shortcomings in comparison to Dallas and Houston. view article

El Paso ISD Police Officer Fatally Shoots Retired FBI Agent at Franklin High

A man was shot and killed by an El Paso Independent School District police officer during a confrontation in a campus parking lot early Thursday morning. The officer fatally shot 56-year-old Julio Cordero around 5:45 a.m. after he was reportedly breaking windows before the start of classes at Franklin High School, where his son is a senior, El Paso Times reports. view article

Taylor ISD super sets new goals

Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen presented her balanced scorecard of four priorities and 12 goals for 2024-28 to trustees Aug. 19. A scorecard aids school districts in assessing performance and monitoring progress using measurable goals and metrics, educators said. “In Taylor ISD we believe … the superintendent and district leaders are forward thinking, strategic and accessible partners to our community that empower staff to help students achieve their unique potential,” reads the district’s core belief statement. view article

Student arrested at Fort Worth ISD campus after police found weapon

Arlington Heights High School, in Fort Worth ISD, sent out an email on Monday letting families know a weapon was found on campus. The email from the Principal of the school stated that Fort Worth Police conducted a search of a student following reports of suspicious activity. Police found a weapon in the student's possession and the individual was immediately arrested. The email did not specify what weapon was found. view article

Mayor calls for urgent reforms in Fort Worth ISD to boost student performance

It's not something you typically see, but on Tuesday, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker addressed the Fort Worth ISD school board during the public comment session. Parker said the district has consistently lagged behind other large Texas school systems in performance. "It was my imperative to be here tonight to really start a movement that I know we can catalyze change," she said. view article

Corsicana ISD educator injured by student could lose her eye, calls on Gov. Abbott to make changes

A Navarro County educator who was injured by a student earlier this month said she could lose her eye due to the incident — and she's calling on the Texas governor to make changes in the education system. Collins Intermediate School Assistant Principal Candra Rogers was airlifted to Parkland hospital in Dallas after a student threw a wooden hanger at her. view article

Katy ISD board votes to ban books about gender identity from many school libraries

Tompkins High School student Travis Thornton held up a copy of "Mein Kampf," the 1925 manifesto published by Adolf Hitler, saying it had been checked out of the school library. The book written by the former dictator of Germany and leader of the Nazi Party, who started World War II and oversaw the genocide of millions of Jews, is available to students in Katy ISD. As of Monday night, though, students like Thornton must get parental permission to access books that touch on gender identity – while elementary and junior high students in the district will not even be able to find them in their school libraries. view article

Mayor calls Fort Worth ISD’s STAAR test results ‘unacceptable’

The mayor of Fort Worth called Fort Worth ISD’s STAAR test results "unacceptable." She’s demanding trustees take action. Mayor Mattie Parker made the comment during Tuesday night’s school board meeting. She also presented trustees with a letter backed by 40 other community leaders addressing the reforms that must be made. view article

‘No trust, no bond:’ Teachers union-backed poll claims voters do NOT support Houston ISD bond proposal

The report says only 39% of voters support the historic bond package “to update and repair HISD buildings and for new technology.” The poll report says this is largely because there’s minimal trust for the state-appointed superintendent, Mike Miles, or trust for him to manage funds. view article

North Lamar ISD Continues Fourth Year of Middle School Baseball and Softball Programs

North Lamar ISD is proud to announce the start of the fourth year of its Middle School Baseball and Softball programs. These two programs have grown in popularity and success, providing students with early exposure to competitive play and skill development. The baseball program, now in its fourth year, features two teams under the leadership of Head Coach Bric Steed and Assistant Coach Chad Chalupa. view article

Killeen ISD’s new ‘phone pouch’ system has begun. How’s it working?

Not every middle and high school student in Killeen ISD has been issued a cellphone pouch yet, but that day is coming soon, according to KISD officials. According to Susan Buckley, a KISD assistant superintendent, all campuses have received the lockable pouches as of last week and “distribution is currently underway.” view article

Austin ISD awarded $15M grant for solar panel program

The U.S. Department of Energy named the Austin Independent School District the recipient of a multi-million-dollar grant to expand the district’s solar panel program. Austin ISD received the $15 million grant to help fund the addition of solar panels to 14 “historically underserved communities,” the district said in a release Monday. It was the sole Texas school district to receive funding from the federal government’s Renew America’s Schools Grant program. view article

Fort Bend ISD approves library book policy that allows superintendent to remove books

The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees approved a policy change on Monday that will allow the superintendent authority to remove certain books from school libraries. The superintendent will also designate someone to fulfill that role. Only two trustees voted no. view article

Fort Bend ISD adopts change to book policy that allows superintendent to control content

On Monday night, Fort Bend ISD trustees got an earful from parents concerned about a new book policy that gives the superintendent more power over books available in school libraries. The parents and students gathered before the meeting to voice their concerns while hoping the board would hear their pleas. view article

North Texas asst. principal suffered ‘severe’ eye injury in classroom incident, district says

Corsicana ISD released more information Monday about an incident involving a student that caused an assistant principal at Collins Intermediate School to be flown to a hospital. Candra Rogers was injured during a "disruption in a classroom" on Thursday, Aug. 15, school officials said. School officials initially released few details about what happened, causing some parents to express concerns about the safety of the school. view article