A group of Tarrant County residents who sued over the county’s new commissioners court precinct map withdrew their lawsuit Monday.  It’s not clear from court filings why the group that filed the case, titled Jackson et. al. v. Tarrant County, decided to drop it. But it ends one of two lawsuits accusing Tarrant County of illegal racial gerrymandering.  KERA News has reached out to attorneys on both sides for comment.  I  n an emailed statement, Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare welcomed the news.  “The Commissioners Court’s action to redistrict was constitutional from the outset and remains so,” he said. “With today’s legal development, Tarrant County will continue to stand as the best place to live and run a business in America.” view article

In November, on Austin’s South First Street, cameras caught a Waymo automated vehicle drive past an Austin Independent School District school bus’ flashing stop signs. At first, the driverless car stopped while a student crossed in front of it – but video shows the car accelerating forward before the student could cross the other lane of traffic or get out of the road. Just two days before, in north Austin, bus surveillance cameras also recorded a different Waymo illegally passing an AISD bus as students crossed the street. view article

Harper ISD is notifying families after a former district employee was arrested in connection with an off-campus incident involving a minor. According to a statement from the district, Pedro DeLuna III, a former staff member, was arrested on Dec. 1, following allegations that he recorded invasive visual material of a 15-year-old girl. The alleged incident did not occur on school property and happened outside of school hours. view article

After receiving two favorable rulings from judges, a coalition of advocacy groups filed their third lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom in Texas.  The new case was brought against 16 Texas school districts, adding Katy, Clear Creek, Deer Park, Pearland and Magnolia ISDs to the litigation. Courts have already barred the displays in Conroe, Houston, Fort Bend and Cypress-Fairbanks ISDs.  The latest filing comes in an ongoing effort from groups such as the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. They represent families across the state who say placing posters of the Ten Commandments violates their First Amendment protections. All three cases have been filed in San Antonio federal court in the Western District of Texas.  Tuesday’s filing is the first class-action lawsuit the groups have brought in the Ten Commandments litigation. T view article

A former Rivera Early College High School teacher pleaded guilty to a charge of improper relationship between educator and student, according to court records. Julio Ricardo Trujillo was arrested in May following an investigation by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office. He entered his guilty plea on Monday. As previously reported, an affidavit alleged Trujillo had intercourse with a 19-year-old female student at least three times. view article

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for the District Attorneys and Sheriffs of Dallas and Collin Counties to investigate "Sharia Courts" in North Texas along with the Texas Attorney General and Texas Department of Public Safety in a letter he sent to all four agencies. view article

My favorite article that I have written over the years is one on official state holidays and recognitions. I find it fascinating to see which lobbyists succeed in recognitions for their cause. I look at this calendar and wonder why Monarch butterflies and veterinarian technicians get their own week, Lung Cancers Awareness gets only one day, Gold Star mothers get a day but not fathers, and there are no recognition days in December? Did you know that the 11 th day of each month is a recognition “day?”

It's sickening that a sex offender ... was given access to vulnerable students to potentially victimize them.' Aconvicted sex offender college professor whose criminal past made him "ineligible for legal status in the United States" has been arrested by ICE, according to a DHS press release published earlier this week.  On November 12, ICE officers arrested Sumith Gunasekera of Sri Lanka in Detroit. According to the press release, he told officers that he was employed as an associate professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, about 200 miles northwest of Detroit. view article

A former Celina ISD coach arrested three times on child sexual abuse charges is a facing a new charge — and now a third lawsuit from two more alleged victims. Court records show Caleb Elliot, 26, was charged Nov. 25 with sexual performance of a child, a second-degree felony. That same day, two families filed a new suit against Elliot claiming district officials dismissed a report made by a Celina ISD employee about Elliot's "inappropriate behavior." view article

A state law that bans DEI programs and discussion of LGBTQ+ identities in K-12 schools will go to court Dec. 10, teeing up what is expected to be a yearslong battle over free speech in public education. A coalition of Texas LGBTQ and teacher advocacy groups, students and a teacher are asking Trump-appointed Judge Charles Eskridge of the Southern District of Texas in Houston to halt all Texas public K-12 and charter school districts from enforcing parts of a state law that schools have leveraged to cut Gender and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) clubs and bar teachers from using gender-affirming pronouns. view article

In an X post on Wednesday, State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, said he was donating enough Ten Commandment posters to go in every classroom within Manor Independent School District. Sen. Middleton said in the video that he donated the posters because he did not believe the elected state representative for the area, State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, would donate any posters. Talarico voted against Senate Bill 10, which requires public schools to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. view article

The Secretary of State’s Office didn’t initially check with the Department of Public Safety, which collects proof of citizenship from people who register to vote through them. view article

A former elementary school teacher and soccer coach accused of sexually assaulting multiple children has been returned to Houston after fleeing to Peru while out on bond, according to Precinct 5 Constable Terry Allbritton’s Office. Wilbert Sequeiros, who worked for Houston ISD and Klein ISD, is accused of sexually assaulting at least seven boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 10 between 2014 and 2019. The allegations surfaced in 2019, prompting his arrest the following year. view article

A Montgomery County man who works as a school bus driver was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a child, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies say they responded to a report of a child sexual assault at the 10000 block of Royal Duaine Drive in Conroe on Thanksgiving, around 3 p.m. view article

A Cleveland ISD bus driver has been arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child after Montgomery County deputies responded to a report at a Conroe home Thursday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies were called around 3 p.m. Thursday to the 10000 block of Royal Duaine Drive, where Special Victims Unit detectives began an investigation, according to the sheriff’s office. view article

In an X post on Wednesday, State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, said he was donating enough Ten Commandment posters to go in every classroom within Manor Independent School District. Sen. Middleton said in the video that he donated the posters because he did not believe the elected state representative for the area, State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, would donate any posters. Talarico voted against Senate Bill 10, which requires public schools to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. view article

A Cleveland ISD bus driver was arrested by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and is facing sexual assault charges, according to officials. view article

A former Celina ISD middle school coach is now facing yet another criminal charge, filed on the same day a third civil lawsuit was brought forward, as community members continue to question whether additional allegations may still come to light. view article

Until being labeled as the "radical left," Brown was widely supported by Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who previously hired him as his clerk. Abbott called the ruling “clearly erroneous.” view article

AUSTIN, TX — An Austin Independent School District teacher was recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), district officials confirmed.  The district sent a letter to families confirming that Roberto López Falcón, a teacher at Hart Elementary School, had been detained by ICE. School officials said they were not aware of complete details surrounding the incident but noted it did not occur at or near the campus.  "Mr. Lopez Falcon is a valued member of our school, and their well-being is deeply important to us," Principal Larry Perez wrote in the letter. view article

Under Senate Bill 10, Texas public school districts are required to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. view article

A tree ordinance variance request and the annexation of a new school from Willis ISD got no traction with Conroe city leaders on Thursday as the issues both died for a lack of motion. The district sought an exemption from Conroe's tree ordinance requirements, grandfathering in the site through 2027. In an unrelated agenda item, the district asked for the voluntary annexation of its new elementary school at 8150 MP Clark Road. The school is located in Conroe’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. view article

A federal judge has ordered 14 Texas school districts to remove Ten Commandments displays by December 1 and banned them from posting new displays. The public school districts named include Conroe ISD. The ongoing legal battle over the Ten Commandments began in June when Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10 into law, requiring all public schools to display the Ten Commandments and specifying the minimum size required. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking two Central Texas school districts to court, accusing them of violating state law by refusing to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD and members of both districts' Board of Trustees. view article

The decision is a major blow for Republicans, in Texas and nationally, who pushed through the mid-decade redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump. Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would appeal.  Texas cannot use its new congressional map for the 2026 election and will instead need to stick with the lines passed in 2021, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday.   view article

Celina police say their investigation into a former Celina ISD teacher and coach who was arrested for invasive visual recording and possession of child pornography and indicted last week on federal charges of sexual exploitation of children identified 38 victims in digital data. William Caleb Elliott, 26, a former 6th-grade history teacher and 8th-grade coach at Celina ISD's Moore Middle School -- and the son of Celina ISD athletic director Bill Elliott -- was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on eight federal charges, including seven counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography, officials say. If convicted, Elliott faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, officials say. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Leander and Round Rock Independent School Districts and their respective board of trustee members for not displaying donated copies of the Ten Commandments in all classrooms. In the lawsuit that was filed Tuesday, Paxton's office said Round Rock ISD chose to “openly defy” state law after indicating it would not comply with Senate Bill 10 in a Sept. 15 email. view article

Laredo police arrested a Zapata ISD police officer on a third-degree felony stalking charge, and the incident remains under investigation. According to Laredo police, officers responded around noon Sunday, Nov. 16, to a report of an alleged assault in the 5700 block of U.S. 83. A woman called to report that her sister had been assaulted by a law enforcement officer making threats. view article

SAN ANTONIO — In a win for religious freedom and church-state separation, a federal judge today issued a preliminary injunction requiring certain public school districts in Texas to remove Ten Commandments displays by Dec. 1, and prohibiting them from posting new displays. The order is in response to a new lawsuit filed Sept. 22 by a group of 15 multifaith and nonreligious families with children attending schools in the districts. In his order, U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia wrote that “displaying the Ten Commandments on the wall of a public school classroom as set forth in Senate Bill 10 violates the Establishment Clause.” He added, “It is impractical, if not impossible, to prevent Plaintiffs from being subjected to unwelcome religious displays without enjoining Defendants from enforcing S.B. 10 across their districts.”   view article

The former Celina ISD teacher and coach faces eight federal charges of sexual exploitation of children, records show. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Galveston Independent School District on Friday for not following a new state law requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms while the legislation is challenged in federal court. view article

Antonio De Jesus Moreno Escobar secured seven jobs in three years with the falsified documents.  An illegal alien has been arrested after stealing a Texas minor’s identity, causing the minor to lose healthcare benefits.  Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrest on Wednesday, saying the theft was first discovered after the victim’s mother received notification that her son’s Medicaid benefits were being discontinued due to fraudulent income being reported in his name. view article

According to a letter to Crockett Early College High School families, principal Shana King said someone had reported that a student who got in a fight had a weapon. view article

The Johnson County District Attorney's Office confirmed it's investigating allegations involving a Godley ISD staff member. A spokesperson for the Johnson County District Attorney's Office said they were made aware of the allegations last week and are "in the early stages of the investigation." view article

The county recently allocated $1.3 million to groups that provide immigration legal services amid an uptick in federal enforcement. Paxton called the program “evil and wicked.” view article