The proposed change in the code of conduct is set to be discussed this Thursday at a board briefing. Top of mind for the district is safety and security following the April Wilmer-Hutchins High School shooting, still fresh on the minds of everyone in attendance. The last update from the district was that the student who let the armed classmate in was identified, but that student's punishment criminally or administratively is still unclear. view article

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has opened the draft of the School Health and Related Services (SHARS) Policy (MS Word) for public comment.  School Health and Related Services (SHARS) are direct medical services and transportation services available to children aged 20 and younger who are enrolled in Medicaid and are eligible to receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The services must be included in the child’s individualized education program (IEP) established under IDEA. view article

HEB ISD discovered an "unsettling" post on social media involving Hurst Hills Elementary School. District officials said once they caught wind of the threat, they immediately contacted the district’s security team and the Hurst Police Department. view article

According to an affidavit, a Nacogdoches ISD teacher was arrested for failing to report child sex abuse allegations against her husband. According to the affidavit obtained by a Nacogdoches County open records request, Camille Floyd Lanier, 46, refused to report child sex abuse allegations against her husband, Nikolai Alexi Lanier, 44, despite her status as a mandatory reporter as a teacher at Nacogdoches ISD. view article

During a visit to College Station, the U.S. health secretary said Europe has a worse track record with the virus, which gets too much media attention. view article

Two Eisenhower High School students are in custody after police say they fired a gun near campus Wednesday morning. Houston police said both students are 17 years old and charges are pending against them. The school was put on lockdown at the time. Aldine ISD said police activity near Eisenhower Senior High School prompted the lockdown at about 7:20 a.m. Police in the area observed the three people shooting in the bayou and then fleeing toward the school. view article

A former Eanes ISD teacher faces a new felony charge tied to an ongoing investigation into child pornography. A new affidavit filed in Travis County states that Zachary Barnett, a music teacher at Cedar Creek Elementary School, had hundreds of files of child pornography that included content depicting children under 10 years old. view article

A former elementary music teacher at Eanes Independent School District who was arrested in February on charges of Possession of Child Pornography is now being charged with Sexual Performance by Child under 14, according to court records. view article

A small North Texas school district approved the creation of a new police department on Monday. The board of trustees of Blue Ridge ISD, a three-school district in Collin County with just over 1,000 students, unanimously approved a resolution to establish the Blue Ridge ISD Police Department. view article

Families, friends, and community members attending the 2025 Seguin High School graduation ceremony will be required to pass through a metal detector. The Seguin ISD is implementing the use of metal detectors for the first time ahead of the 2025 graduation ceremony on Friday, May 23, at Matador Stadium. The district purchased four new detectors and six detection wands; it also received two used metal detectors from Schaeffler Automotive as a donation. view article

Authorities in Montgomery County say a weeklong undercover sting led to the arrest of two men trying to prey on children online—and one of them was a local kindergarten teacher. The operation, which took place the week of April 21, was a team effort between the Precinct 3 Constable’s Office and the Houston Area Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Investigators posed as minors online to catch adults looking to exploit kids. view article

A student was cut by an X-ACTO knife during an altercation with another student at a Royse City ISD middle school, officials said. The incident occurred on April 24 at Bobby Sumers Middle School in Fate, the school district said in a letter to parents. Before the first bell, two female students were involved in an altercation in the cafeteria area, the district said. view article

A Zephyr ISD student passed away April 27. The school district said they were given permission by the family to share the unexpected passing of Jayden Gowin. Members of Zephyr ISD are available to meet with students one-on-one or in groups for those who need counseling. view article

Legislation passed in 2023 to prevent gender mutilation of minors did not address the psychological or social transitioning element. view article

A video showing a Hamilton ISD teacher dragging a kindergarten student down a hallway has left one local family demanding accountability from the district. view article

A former Fort Stockton ISD and Ector County ISD employee was arrested on April 11 in Cuero, Texas for continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, according to the United States Marshals Service (USMS). view article

SAN JUAN, Texas – From Monday, July 25, to Saturday, July 30, the Texas Health and Human Services will carry out Operation Border Health/Preparedness (OBHP). OBHP is a program that sets up sites around the Rio Grande Valley, offering residents free health services. Services include general physician services, immunizations, screenings, sport physicals, dental services, vision services, and more. Although assisting the public in maintaining their health is a goal of OBHP, the underlying purpose is to assist the community in preparing for disasters. State Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, said Operation Border Health Preparedness allows state, local, and nonprofit entities to practice setting up and operating health clinics that may be needed in the case of a public health emergency, while providing free care to the community. He said services include medical exams, immunizations for children and adults, sports physicals for students, health and diabetes screenings, and dental and vision exams. “Operation Border Health Preparedness is a great example of a smart policy that not only ensures we are prepared for future public health crises, but also provides an immediate public benefit in the process,” Hinojosa said. view article

Police officials and law enforcement experts say there’s no guarantee that officers will follow their training and confront a shooter — no matter how much training they have.  In the weeks since officers in Uvalde waited more than an hour to confront a gunman who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school, police departments across the state have asked themselves a crucial question: If they faced a similar situation, would they be able to quickly stop the gunman?  The images of parents and students pleading with officers to take action at Robb Elementary School on May 24 before a tactical team of federal agents finally breached a classroom and fatally shot the 18-year-old gunman deeply disturbed Marfa police Chief Estevan Marquez. view article

An increase in COVID-19 cases among children in El Paso is resulting in more absences at some schools. "Last week my child had a light cough so we decided not to take her to school to not expose the other children to her cough," said El Paso ISD parent Guerrero Garcia. view article

Some Brenham ISD parents are concerned about the safety of their children aboard school buses, while the district struggles to find people to drive them. Overcrowding and longer run times for some buses has parents worried and debating whether their children should be using school transportation. One parent, Cassi Harrison, has pulled her three children off after she says her daughter had to sit on the floor of her elementary school bus, which had students from two bus routes. Harrison says the safety of the children needs to be addressed. view article

Saying positive cases of COVID-19 are climbing to "very high rates" in the district, the Richardson ISD says they are once again temporarily implementing a mask requirement for everyone inside K-12 schools. In a letter to parents, the district said active cases of COVID-19 have increased from 49 on Dec. 7 to 1,089 on Jan. 6, an increase of more than 2100%. The previous pandemic-high number of positive cases in RISD was 367 on Sept. 3. view article

They say participation is strictly voluntary, but the Fort Worth Independent School District is offering a one-time $500 incentive to employees who get fully vaccinated against COVID. Administrators say the money is an ‘effort to provide safe and healthy environments for students, staff and visitors’. view article

In a video address by the Conroe ISD superintendent, Dr. Curtis Null gave an update on the latest numbers on Friday as COVID-19 cases in the district continue to climb. Dr. Curtis Null, the Conroe ISD Superintendent, said, “We need to do something as a community to help make sure that we can keep our schools open and keep our kids safe.” According to the district in the first two weeks of the school year, there have been over 1,100 reported positive cases that included 962 students and 176 staff. view article

Houston ISD students and employees who refuse to wear masks when the school year begins could face discipline and be forced to temporarily learn online under new guidelines released by the district. With exceptions and reasonable accommodations made for people with a “documented medical disability,” the district’s updated back-to-school plan, released Friday evening, says that those who refuse to comply with the mask mandate will face consequences. view article

As COVID-19 cases rise and schools begin to come back into session, the safety of students is a top priority for many school districts. According to a social media post by Jim Hogg County Judge Juan Carlos Guerra, JHC ISD is taking precautions to protect students against rising case numbers. view article

The largest school district in the San Antonio area said Wednesday they will not be enforcing a mask mandate, “for now,” despite a county-wide requirement issued Tuesday that students and teachers wear masks in public schools. A Northside Independent School District spokesperson told KSAT that the district will continue to “strongly encourage the use of facemasks by students, staff, and visitors to district facilities and events” but stopped short of requiring them. Meanwhile, they will “closely monitor the changing guidelines and directives” and alert the public of any change to the policy before the district’s start date on Aug. 23, the spokesperson said. view article

Round Rock ISD parents are divided on COVID-19 masking protocol, with some fighting to keep mask rules in place for their schools and others wanting it to be a choice. The school district's board of trustees recently considered relaxing the mask requirement, but voted to keep the rules in place through the end of the calendar year. view article

All Fort Worth ISD employees will soon be offered a COVID-19 vaccine. Superintendent Kent Scribner sent the information to employees on Thursday. The email states that all employees, including part-time and substitute workers, will be invited to sign up for the vaccine through the school district. view article

During and after a Nov. 9 meeting, Friendswood ISD board members and parents discussed the merits and challenges of structural changes to the district’s virtual learning program. Guidance from the Texas Education Agency released Nov. 5 gave the district significantly more options when it comes to virtual learners, officials said. But that guidance continues to change. view article

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Mackenzie Middle School has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 at the school. Mackenzie Middle School release a statement to parents confirming the case of COVID-19 on August 26, 2020. view article

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

The union for Austin Independent School District employees is asking the district and the state not to send employees back to school buildings in August. Union members say it is unsafe for employees and children to be in classes together. During an online news conference Wednesday, Education Austin President Ken Zarifis said the union is asking AISD to commit to online learning only for the first nine weeks of the semester, while monitoring Covid-19 cases in the city. He also asked that increased pay for employees like cafeteria workers and other support staff continue. view article

Lamar University and Nederland Independent School District both confirmed Wednesday that employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. The NISD employee was last on campus on May 20 and self-reported a positive test according to a statement. view article

Manor ISD is confirming that an employee who recently prepared and distributed curbside meals at Manor New Tech High School has tested positive for COVID-19. According to Manor ISD, the employee’s last day on campus was April 9. All staff who may have had contact with the employee have been contacted and directed to self-quarantine for the next 14 days. view article