The city of Austin will not renew its contracts with Urban Alchemy, a Bay Area homeless services nonprofit that operates two downtown emergency shelters, when the current agreements expire Sept. 30.  Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray wrote in a memo to City Council that the decision came after the nonprofit “identified staff who improperly, and without permission, misrepresented” data around when people were exiting the shelters. The data has since been corrected, Gray wrote in the memo. view article

A second Texas higher education student is no longer enrolled after controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk's death and political pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott to punish those who "celebrate" his assassination.  Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse announced Tuesday night that a student in a viral video shared by Abbott who was seen pantomiming Kirk's death and cursing the conservative activist is no longer enrolled at the university, and condemned the actions. view article

According to the Huntington ISD superintendent, a student was taken into custody by school district officers on Monday. The incident, according to Dr. Carolyn Fiaschetti, happened around 10:30 a.m. The HISD police department was notified of a possible weapon located in a student vehicle in the PRIDE alternative campus parking lot. view article

A former behavioral specialist for Brownsboro ISD has pleaded guilty to two charges of injuring a child. Kyle Lee Rocha, 40, of Chandler, entered open guilty pleas in court Monday. He has been accused of injuring a 7-year-old by knocking over the student’s desk in class while he was leaning it back. Rocha could face 2-10 years for each charge, but the defense has said there are no offers on the table yet. A judge is set to decide Rocha’s sentence on Dec. 9, following a pre-sentence investigation and report. view article

Matthew Childress arrived at Matt’s El Rancho, an Austin restaurant, on Sept. 4 with mixed feelings of anticipation and grief. He greeted the other parents with hugs.  This group had largely been strangers two months earlier, before they learned that their children at Camp Mystic were missing after a massive flash flood, before many waited all night for answers about whether search crews had found any kids alive, before parents had to do the unimaginable and identify their child’s body.  Now, in their torturous sadness, they shared a bond. Over the past several weeks, these parents had pushed their ideas for summer camp reforms through the state Legislature with remarkable speed.  The moms and dads were gathering in Austin from Beaumont, Dallas, Bellville and other Texas cities. One family came from Alabama. The next day, they expected the Texas governor to sign the bills that they championed.   The changes would require kids’ camps to move overnight cabins out of floodplains, to follow weather warnings with radios and install alert systems, and to train staff on emergency plans including where to move children to higher ground if needed. view article

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than half of Texas’ counties have MMR vaccination rates among kindergartners below the threshold for what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is needed for herd immunity.  The CDC says most people are protected from measles, mumps and rubella through herd immunity, also known as community immunity, when more than 95% of people in that community are vaccinated.  As of the 2024-25 school year, kindergarten students in 139 counties did not meet that threshold — 55% of the state’s counties — according to Texas Department of State Health Services data collected and analyzed by NBC News in partnership with researchers at Staford University  Just a decade ago, only 42 counties were below the threshold. view article

A Kemp ISD teacher was arrested for child grooming Sept. 9 by Kemp ISD Police. According to a statement from Kemp ISD Superintendent Dr. James Young Sept. 5, KISD Police and Administration were made aware of a concern regarding the actions of a Kemp High School employee. The district and administration immediately began reviewing and investigating an allegation of the employee engaging in inappropriate conduct. view article

The Texas Education Agency issued new guidance Monday on a state law that requires parental consent before students receive healthcare services. The announcement comes after districts said it prohibited them from simply offering children bandages, leading to a 5-year-old being sent home from school covered in vomit, his mother said. view article

NBC 5’s Larry Collins is tracking new guidance for nurses across the state that was recently released by the Texas Education Agency.

Fernando Escobar, 42, was arrested last week and charged with the sexual assault of a child. Police said the alleged crime happened more than 10 years ago when Escobar was an athletic trainer for Decatur ISD. The victim was a minor at the time. view article

Lufkin High School was placed on a "SECURE" earlier this morning after reports of a possible weapon on campus, according to a release from Lufkin ISD. An unloaded firearm was located in a restroom trash can following a swift investigation, and the school has resumed normal operations, according to the press release.  The school said it appreciated the quick and professional response from Lufkin ISD administration and police as well as the City of Lufkin Police Department in keeping students and the campus safe. view article

The suspected gunman who shot two students before shooting himself Wednesday at Evergreen High School has died, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wednesday night. The big picture: The shooting happened just before 12:30pm on campus grounds, both in and outside the school — which has over 900 students and is about 30 miles southwest of Denver, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.  The three students, including the suspected shooter, were taken to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. view article

The suspected gunman who shot two students before shooting himself Wednesday at Evergreen High School has died, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wednesday night. The big picture: The shooting happened just before 12:30pm on campus grounds, both in and outside the school — which has over 900 students and is about 30 miles southwest of Denver, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.  The three students, including the suspected shooter, were taken to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. view article

A former Eanes ISD student was taken into custody Wednesday on "suspicion of possessing a weapon in his car" on the Westlake High School campus, according to district officials. "Out of an abundance of caution, several schools were placed in SECURE while our Eanes ISD Police Department responded to an incident nearby," Eanes ISD officials said. "We have heard unaffected schools were also placed in SECURE." view article

The law’s authors urged districts to use “common sense.” But some nurses worry they could violate the law and face discipline for providing basic care without a parent’s approval. view article

A North Texas school district is dispelling rumors that a student overdosed on campus last week. Millsap ISD officials in a statement said that rumors of the overdose are not true. Instead, what happened was that three students on Aug. 29 were using a vape that contained THC and one of the students reported to school officials that they weren't feeling well. view article

Video shot by an anonymous bystander on Wednesday and posted to social media was shared with KHOU 11 by a very concerned mother who said it made her physically sick. "When I saw the video, I threw up," Angela Dixon said. "I fell to the floor, I threw up." Dixon's 13-year-old daughter, who we're not identifying, is seen in the video getting punched and kicked repeatedly. As the attack spilled into the street, the victim fell to the ground as school buses and other vehicles passed by. view article

A MacArthur High School teacher died on Thursday morning, the school’s principal said in an email obtained by KSAT. In the email, Principal Joaquin Hernandez confirmed that one of the school’s teachers died following a medical emergency during first period. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s office told KSAT that the teacher was Timothy Kitterman, 65. Kitterman’s cause and manner of death have yet to be determined. view article

Previously, parents had to wait for the state to mail them the exemption form. They still have to get the form notarized before submitting it to the school for enrollment purposes.  Texas parents will no longer have to wait weeks for a vaccine exemption form to be mailed to them if they want their children opted out of state-required immunizations to attend school.  This week, the state health agency quietly unveiled the new downloadable vaccine exemption form, the result of state Rep. Lacey Hull’s House Bill 1586 which went into effect on Monday. Along with the form, the Texas Department of State Health Services also published a document listing the benefits and risks of immunization.  The new law does nothing to change the childhood vaccine schedule. Instead, it would allow parents to download at home a form that allows children to be exempted from being vaccinated in order to attend public schools. The parents can show the same filled out form for two years before having to fill out a new one.  Before the new law, parents had to contact the state health agency and request the exemption form be mailed to them.  Parents still have to get a notary’s signature before they can present the form to school officials. view article

A volleyball coach charged with sexually grooming and abusing an underage Lockhart Junior High School student is now the target of a civil lawsuit along with Lockhart Independent School District.  Aaron Aguilar, 28, was arrested in April and charged with sexual performance by a child under the age of 14. He was later also charged with possession of child pornography.  The victim’s mother filed a federal lawsuit against Aguilar and Lockhart ISD on August 25.  Aguilar was no longer employed by Lockhart ISD at the time of his arrest. view article

The law does not specifically ban the possession of THC vape pens, but those who sell them face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 penalty. view article

Texas’ rubber-stamp system allows drillers to release vast amounts of natural gas into the atmosphere.  Hakim Dermish moved to the small South Texas town of Catarina in 2002 in search of a rural lifestyle on a budget. The property where he lived with his wife didn’t have electricity or sewer lines at first, but that didn’t bother him.  “Even if we lived in a cardboard box, no one could kick us out,” Dermish said.  Back then, Catarina was a sleepy place. A decade later, oil and gas drilling picked up, and he welcomed the financial opportunities it brought. Dermish launched businesses to support the industry, offering everything from guards for drill sites to housing for oil field workers.  The growth also brought flares — flames burning off excess natural gas — that blazed day and night at wells in the surrounding countryside. Initially enamored of the industry’s potential, Dermish now worried that its pollution endangered the health of the town’s 75 residents. He began lodging complaints with the state in 2023, asking it to push companies to control emissions. view article

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, affecting nearly 500,000 people in the United States each year. view article

A Humble ISD mother said her daughter, who has special needs, received second-degree burns after using the slide at her school's playground. Humble ISD confirmed Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into the matter. Teresa Moncada said her 10-year-old daughter, Savanah, was using one of the slides at Park Lakes Elementary last Thursday during recess. view article

As students return to school, North Texas Salience Health psychiatrist Dr. Shanila Shagufta said it's important for parents to look for signs of mental health challenges in children and teens.  One in five adolescents experience mental health challenges—emotional, mental, or behavioral—in any given year, Shagufta said, a figure confirmed by the U.S. Center for Disease Control.  Salience Health, which offers mental health treatments, has locations in Frisco, Allen, Dallas, McKinney and Plano, according to its website. A new location is planned to open in Southlake at the end of August. view article

News 10 This Morning's Olivea Herzberg details how effective the metal vape collection boxes have been throughout Waco ISD. view article

A Sabine Independent School District student has died on Monday. According to the district, there was an incident Monday in the community that “resulted in the passing of a Sabine High School student.” They did not confirm whether the death of the student was part of the incident in Hugh Camp Memorial Park that happened on Monday afternoon. We have reached out to the superintendent for comment. view article

More than 75 Texas camps have met dozens of safety standards to become accredited by the American Camp Association, which can be a lengthy and costly process.  Train staff on various emergencies, file emergency plans with local emergency personnel, maintain communication methods in case phone and internet services go down, and teach campers how to respond during crises.  Seventy six youth camps in Texas must meet these requirements and dozens more to be accredited by the American Camp Association — the gold standard of camp safety and operation — and some of those measures are among the camp reforms that Texas lawmakers seek to implement following the deadly July 4 floods. view article

Texas counties along the Rio Grande are relatively safe, state and federal crime statistics show, and they seem to be getting even safer as more law enforcement resources pour into the area.  Texas counties along the Rio Grande are relatively safe, state and federal crime statistics show, and they seem to be getting even safer as more law enforcement resources pour into the area. view article

A family of a Lockhart ISD student is suing the district after their child was allegedly sexually assaulted by a former volleyball coach, according to court documents obtained by KVUE. The lawsuit claims the district failed to protect the student in connection to sexual assault by former volleyball coach Aaron Aguilar and did not provide a safe learning environment during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. view article

A Waco High School campus aide was arrested Tuesday on felony grooming charges after school officials learned of his inappropriate messages to a 16-year-old female student. Jody Deshawn Edwards, 34, remains in the McLennan County Jail under $10,000 bond and faces up to 10 years in prison after his arrest on the third-degree felony charge. view article

Experts in Houston have been studying the idea of building massive tunnels to divert floodwaters. Musk’s company wants a piece of the project. view article

Experts in Houston have been studying the idea of building massive tunnels to divert floodwaters. Musk’s company wants a piece of the project. view article

wFrom junk food to TikTok, parents’ biggest health fears have changed significantly.  American parents have become more worried about the content of their children’s Instagram feeds than that of their lunch boxes.  According to a new national poll, the screens their children can’t seem to put down are the greatest of many threats.  The top three concerns for kids’ health all touch back to technology: social media, excessive screen time, and internet safety. view article

In Denton, parents are criticizing the school district’s communication and timeliness after a student was stabbed at Ryan High School. The stabbing, according to Denton police, was reported just after 9 a.m. Friday. One student was taken to the hospital on Friday morning; the teen suspect was taken to the Denton County Juvenile Detention Center for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. view article