Governments rely on private contractors, or vendors. Many times, using a vendor is either more efficient, less expensive, or gives the government access to expertise that it does not have. Given the ubiquitous nature of contracts with the private sector, devoting some time and attention to your vendor contracts is important.

The suspended Academy ISD employee jailed on a charge of displaying harmful material to a minor is now facing additional charges, including child sex assault, The Bell County Sheriff’s Office said. Earlier this week, deputies arrested William “Will” Anthony Blackburn, Sr. view article

A judge has granted a 30-day extension for the state to answer the GOP’s petition. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton promised to “vigorously enforce” the state’s Ten Commandments display law in a legal advisory sent to Texas public school districts, his office announced Wednesday.   Paxton said his office and the Texas Education Agency will closely monitor compliance with the law. Any school district that fails to meet the standard set in Senate Bill 10 is subject to legal action, he said.  “Texas law has spoken clearly: The moral foundation that shaped our nation deserves a prominent place in our classrooms — now more than ever,” Paxton wrote in the advisory. “As Attorney General, I will do everything in my power to defend this statute and ensure that Texas children may once again see, each day, the timeless truths upon which our laws and liberties were built.”   view article

A regional custodial specialist in the Austin Independent School District was arrested by federal authorities and charged with sexually abusing a child.   Agustin Ibarra Lopez was arrested September 24 by U.S. Marshals on a felony charge of indecency with a child, according to a letter Austin ISD sent to district families on the 25th.   Talent Strategy Officer Brandi Hosack advised that Lopez had served as a custodian at several Austin ISD schools since 2016: Bowie High School (2016–17 and 2017–18 school years), Akins High School (2018–2021), Mendez Middle School (2022), Casey Elementary School (May 2022), and Anderson High School (2023-24 school year). view article

Free speech experts say that when teachers speak in their personal capacity, even on school grounds but outside their official duties, they retain their right to comment on matters of public concern. view article

Free speech experts say that when teachers speak in their personal capacity, even on school grounds but outside their official duties, they retain their right to comment on matters of public concern. view article

A legal showdown over Texas’ new congressional map begins Wednesday in an El Paso federal court. The outcome will determine whether the state’s latest congressional boundaries can be used in upcoming elections.  The new congressional map—signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in August—added five new Republican-opportunity seats ahead of the 2026 midterm election. view article

A nationwide audit conducted by the ​​Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows a lack of compliance with federal law by several states for commercial license requirements, with Texas included on the list.  Late last week, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy released new emergency rules to help clarify and strengthen the current licensing system.   “What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American,” Duffy announced. view article

The state is being criticized for advising colleges to verify students’ status with immigration authorities, which could put them at risk. view article

A middle school student was arrested Wednesday after allegedly making a threat against a Rockwall ISD school, police said. According to the Fate Department of Public Safety, a school resource officer at Ursula Rakow Middle School learned a student made a threat against the school and its students late in the day on Tuesday. Fate DPS said the student admitted to the SRO that they made the comments "as a joke" during a visit to the student's home. view article

The judge currently handling Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce case has decided to shield the records in the case from public disclosure.  Judge Ray Wheless, a Republican serving as the regional administrative judge for North Texas, ordered the case records be sealed Friday. He was brought on to the case after the judge originally assigned to the case, Jill Renfro Willis, recused herself. While Willis did not give a reason for her recusal, she and her husband, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis, have longtime ties to the Paxtons.  Sealing the court records means the public will not have access to further filings in the case, which has garnered significant public interest given the Paxtons’ political prominence and past links between the attorney general’s infidelity and allegations of corruption. view article

Another San Antonio-area school district is caught in a legal battle over Texas’ new law that requires donated posters of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and other religious freedom groups brought a lawsuit Monday against 14 Texas school districts, including the Comal Independent School District, which they say have “pressed forward with actually posting (Senate Bill 10) displays in classrooms, or have confirmed they will do so shortly.” view article

The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, along with other civil rights groups, filed a second lawsuit in federal court Monday to stop more Texas public school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Earlier this summer, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10 into law, requiring every public school classroom in the state to include a poster with the Ten Commandments. view article

Six employees at Midland ISD’s South Elementary have resigned and two administrators remain under investigation following claims of misconduct in special education classrooms, prompting a multi-agency investigation and increased oversight across the district. Following last week’s initial statement regarding an investigation into classroom practices in special education classrooms at South Elementary, Midland ISD remains committed to transparency while acknowledging that some details cannot be disclosed during the ongoing investigation. view article

The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, along with other civil rights groups, filed a second lawsuit in federal court Monday to stop more Texas public school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms.  Earlier this summer, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10 into law, requiring every public school classroom in the state to include a poster with the Ten Commandments.  Last month, the groups — who are representing Texas families of varying religious and nonreligious backgrounds — successfully argued for a preliminary injunction against 11 school districts in Texas’ largest metropolitan areas. While issuing the injunction, U.S. Judge Fred Biery wrote the new law "likely violates both the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution.  "This [new] lawsuit is a continuation of our work to defend the First Amendment and ensure that government officials stay out of personal family decisions," said Chloe Kempf, a staff attorney at the ACLU Texas. "All students — regardless of their race or religious background — should feel accepted and free to be themselves in Texas public schools." view article

Embattled Texas A&M President Mark Welsh is facing new calls for his job. This comes following disclosures that he knew about threats issued against a student who complained about a controversial LGBT curriculum.  In an audio recording posted by State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian), a student told Welsh that a department head had threatened her over recordings she had taken of a class. The student told Welsh that the department head told her the student handbook prohibits that activity despite Texas being a one-party consent state. view article

The board of Athens Independent School District is discussing accepting the resignation of the high school’s band director. 45-year-old Nicholas Durham was arrested on a meth charge earlier this month after Henderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies searched his apartment. According to arrest records, he gave investigators two bongs containing meth at that time. view article

A Texas Tech University student was caught in a viral video mocking the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. She is now no longer enrolled there.   “F*** y’all, ya homie’s dead,” the student chanted.  The confrontation occurred outside a vigil for the slain evangelist on the Texas Tech University campus. The student, Camryn Giselle Booker, is 18 years old.  According to press reports, Booker was arrested after she shoved several people, including an elderly veteran and a mother with a young child. The viral video does not show that incident. view article

More than a dozen multi-faith families, including one from Fort Worth, filed a lawsuit against five Tarrant County-area school districts and others across Texas to stop them from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms as required under a state law.  The group of 15 families filed the suit Monday in a San Antonio court against 14 districts, including Fort Worth, Arlington, Northwest, Mansfield and Azle saying the law is a violation of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. This is the latest legal challenge to the new state law that went into effect Sept. 1.  Kristin Klade, a Lutheran pastor in Fort Worth, is among those who filed this week’s lawsuit. She said in a statement that displaying the Ten Commandments in her children’s classrooms steps on her parental right to teach religion to her family. view article

AUSTIN — After scoring a legislative victory with a new law requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, state Sen. Phil King of Weatherford says he’s ready for the next round: a court challenge asserting that the mandate on Texas schools violates the fundamental principle separating church and state.  Enacted by the recently adjourned regular session of the Texas Legislature, King’s Senate Bill 10 requires a version of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom beginning Sept. 1. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law on June 20.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and allied groups filed suit in a San Antonio federal court July 2 declaring the law violates the religious rights of students and parents and “is plainly unconstitutional.” It also seeks a preliminary injunction to keep the law from going into effect pending the resolution of the suit. view article

Teachers and principals at seven persistently failing Fort Worth schools must reapply for their jobs for next school year if trustees approve a turnaround plan next week.  That’s because FWISD students deserve to have the best teachers in front of them, Superintendent Karen Molinar said Wednesday.  As a potential state takeover looms, Molinar wants to shift three middle schools and four elementaries to a Texas-approved turnaround model. On top of that, FWISD administrators want to use the state’s new reading materials that incorporate Bible stories into lessons.  view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton has demanded answers from UNT.  After opposing in-class celebrations of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, a University of North Texas student says she is being harassed and threatened, and the university police are not protecting her.  On the afternoon of September 18, Mary-Catherine Hallmark was manning a Turning Point USA table on campus in front of the Willis Library.  As a safety precaution, Hallmark said Turning Point had already informed UNT police about the panel. “There should have been a police officer, but there wasn’t,” she said.  She recorded a student collecting materials from the table and tearing them up as he walked away. “You all should burn in hell,” he’s heard saying. view article

A woman accused of running an illegal ballot harvesting scheme during the 2022 General Election was arrested in Starr County, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Wednesday.  A grand jury indicted Modesta Vela of Roma after a yearlong investigation into ballot harvesting operations targeting numerous senior citizens in South Texas. She was arrested on September 4, marking her fourth arrest since 2010.  “Due to the findings of this investigation, a grand jury issued a true bill indictment against Vela for intentionally and knowingly influencing a Texan’s vote in the presence of the ballot during the voting process, which is an offense punishable as a state jail felony,” according to Paxton’s office.  Ballot harvesting—sometimes referred to as “ballot trafficking”—typically involves a third party illegally collecting and handling voters’ ballots in order to influence elections. view article

A university spokesperson says it will be removed from the course catalog shortly. view article

Round Rock ISD says it is waiting for guidance on the constitutionality of the new law before complying with it. Reports have circulated that Round Rock ISD is refusing to comply with Texas’ new law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in government school classrooms.  In an email to Christie Slape, chair of Moms for Liberty Williamson County, Round Rock ISD General Counsel Cynthia Hill stated that donated posters are currently being safely stored on campus while the district awaits guidance regarding the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms.  Dr. Mary Bone, who served on the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees from 2020 to 2024, posted Hill’s email on X. view article

The TEC has a history of targeting “the little guy,” but even a former legislator is no match for the commission’s power. A former legislator’s fight against the Texas Ethics Commission highlights the threat the agency poses to average citizens, often discouraging them from participating in the political process.  Former State Rep. Chris Paddie (R–Marshall) was fined by the TEC after he allegedly violated a 2019 ethics law that he helped write. The law prohibits former lawmakers from lobbying for two years after donating to colleagues.  A sworn complaint was filed against Paddie before the commission on January 30, 2023. The complaint alleged “illegal lobbying” after Paddie reportedly made political donations from an old campaign account shortly before his resignation from office in 2022. view article

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Monday evening in an ABC 13 interview that she will not seek re-election in 2026.  Earlier this month, during her State of the County address, Hidalgo told the public that her decision would come “very, very, very soon.” Her announcement ends months of speculation, as she had repeatedly teased her future plans. view article

The attorney general has issued civil investigative demands to determine if political agendas are driving financial recommendations. view article

Threatening biblical plagues, demanding new taxes and firing off requests in foreign languages, Angelina County resident David Stua has turned Texas’ open records law into a weapon that county officials say is draining resources and costing taxpayers.  Stua is not a public official, but he has become a fixture in county government through an unrelenting campaign of public information requests and legal threats. In the past few months alone, officials say he has filed hundreds of records requests, some seeking searches of thousands of email addresses, others written entirely in Italian.  Stua has recently filed three new lawsuits against Angelina County in district court. To handle the cases, commissioners formally hired the Austin law firm Allison, Bass & Magee. Under the retainer approved Tuesday, Aug. 26, principals will bill at $400 per hour, associates at $300 per hour and paralegals at $150. view article

Texas’ foreign land ban is being challenged in a federal court of appeals. The lawsuit was filed by the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance, a New Jersey-based nonprofit.  The ban, also known as Senate Bill 17, prohibits foreign adversaries—such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—and entities from those nations from acquiring real estate in Texas. It also includes provisions to allow the attorney general to investigate violations and initiate divestment actions in court. 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

During the 89th Legislative Regular Session, the Texas Legislature passed several bills that impact school district construction projects and procurement of construction-related services. Although this session was not particularly heavy on construction-related legislation, the following bills may have significant effects on procurement processes, conflicts of interest in bidding on and awarding of projects, hiring restrictions due to contractor/subcontractor conduct, audits, and defect claims.

Trustees in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD voted 6-1 Monday to adopt updated board operating procedures after a controversy over audio recordings and concerns over trustees' requests for information prompted the board to revisit the document. The updated procedures require trustees to ask for consent when recording conversations with a community member, Cy-Fair ISD employee or another trustee. The procedures also clarify the process for board members to make formal requests for both information. view article

Edgewood Independent School District’s board voted in favor of sanctioning its youngest trustee Michael Valdez during a special meeting Monday night. In a 6-1 vote, the board sanctioned 21-year-old Valdez for violating board policies because he did an interview with KENS 5 without authorization from the board president. Valdez was the lone “no” vote. view article