The Blanco County property has not been used for school purposes since 1952.  In Lindig’s case, the trial court came to a different conclusion. Judge Allan Garrett of the 33rd District Court determined that “although the conveyance for school purposes is set forth generally in the deed, the reverter clause does not terminate the grantees’ ownership of the property if it ceases being used for school purposes. Rather, the reverter clause expressly states that it is triggered only if a school house is removed from the land.”  On appeal in 2015, the Third Court of Appeals in Austin affirmed this reasoning, adding that it was “undisputed that the building once used as a school remains on the property.” view article

A Bexar County judge on Friday dismissed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit challenging the county’s immigration legal services program, bringing an end to weeks of legal battles before any court could hear the merits of the case. In Bexar County’s presiding court, 408th Civil District Court Judge Angelica Jimenez granted the county’s motion to dismiss filed earlier this week, ruling the case is moot after the remaining funds tied to the program were already distributed. view article

Litigation over a rigged $95M lottery jackpot includes a fight to hide companies and individuals involved in a scheme dubbed “money laundering” by lawmakers. Defendants in a high-profile lawsuit involving the alleged rigging of the Texas Lottery are continuing to fight attempts to expose their corporate interests.  The controversy surrounding the jackpot in question led Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to describe the Texas Lottery as “probably the biggest money laundering scheme in the country.” view article

A federal court cleared the way for Senate Bill 12, which prohibits drag performances on public property or in front of children, to take effect Wednesday. view article

Regent approval comes at a time of public concern about “Woke AI.”  Khan’s development leave request further elaborates that her intent is to integrate “artificial intelligence with equity-driven practices.”The leave request further states that the project’s objective is to explore “how artificial intelligence can support equity in developmental mathematics.”  On October 3, Casa de Calvo wrote to interim Provost Christopher Markwood in support of Khan’s leave application.   Khan’s “proposal reflects an effort to connect research on pedagogy, equity, and artificial intelligence in ways that may benefit our students and faculty,” wrote Casa de Calvo.  “The project aims to integrate AI with equity-driven practices through the development of an Algorithmic Equity Framework,” Casa de Calvo continues. Khan’s proposal “is aligned with our institutional priorities.”   While state lawmakers prohibited aspects of DEI ideology in 2023, that prohibition does not extend to this sort of research. view article

Judge Bennett cited the “troubling” lack of Islamic schools in ordering the extension.  An Obama-appointed federal judge has extended the state’s application deadline for its new school choice program to March 31, while lawsuits proceed over the exclusion of Islamic schools. The original deadline was Tuesday at 11:59 p.m.   U.S. District Court Judge Alfred Bennett of the Southern District of Texas in Houston reportedly called the lack of Islamic schools “troubling.”   There are two federal lawsuits currently before Judge Bennett challenging Texas’ exclusion of certain Islamic private schools from the program for having terrorist ties. Earlier this week, the State advised the court that it is unopposed to consolidating the two cases. view article

East Texas elementary school employee accused of having child porn arrested  ONALASKA, Texas — An East Texas elementary school employee accused of having child porn was arrested Tuesday night.  Jerry Cobb, 47, was booked into the Angelina County Jail for warrants out of the Onalaska Police Department, including two counts of assault and possession of child pornography, according to OPD. view article

The Washington Post reported that a document was distributed to ICE staff indicating the agency was drafting a letter to potentially terminate the facility’s $1.2 billion contract. view article

Jose Omar Flores-Penaloza was willing to admit that he had entered the United States illegally. He was ready to be deported, according to his attorneys.  But federal prosecutors would not let him go last spring without making him answer for another crime — one he had never heard of.  Weeks earlier, President Donald Trump, to address what he called a national emergency, ordered a stretch of borderland transferred to the military so that troops could help apprehend unauthorized migrants.  Because prosecutors believed Flores-Penaloza had crossed through that zone, now called a national defense area, they charged him with trespassing on military property under statutes including one enacted in 1909 to keep spies away from arsenals.   The added misdemeanors were unlikely to lengthen his sentence; they typically result in time served and deportation. But Flores-Penaloza maintained his innocence in the face of the allegation that could cast him as a national security threat. view article

The federal lawsuits argue Texas officials are engaging in religious discrimination by preventing Islamic private schools from accessing state voucher money.  Four Muslim parents and three private schools have sued Texas leaders for excluding Islamic private schools from participating in the state’s private school voucher program.  The two federal lawsuits ask the court to block the voucher program from discriminating on the basis of religion. The first suit, filed March 1 by a parent acting on behalf of two children who attend a Houston private school, names Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock and Education Commissioner Mike Morath as defendants. A second suit filed March 11 by three parents and three schools names Hancock and Mary Katherine Stout, education savings account program manager, as defendants.  Here’s what to know. view article

The family of a 14-year-old McKinney ISD student has filed a civil lawsuit against a former district athletic trainer accused of sexually assaulting the teen. Attorney Paul Herz, who represents the student and the student’s family, said the allegations involve repeated abuse. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton warned the Austin Independent School District that it could be fined $5,000 daily for alleged violations of Texas' new bathroom bill. The law prohibits transgender people’s use of certain public restrooms in government buildings. view article

Spring Branch ISD officials say they ordered Bunker Hill Elementary to remove decorations celebrating the Muslim holiday after a parent expressed concern the display did not align with district policy. Some say other religious displays were previously allowed. view article

KFOX14/CBS4 has obtained new documents detailing nearly $41,000 in Fabens Independent School District funds allegedly spent at local casinos by a former district employee. Credit card statements reveal six separate casino transactions over a two-month period, totaling approximately $41,000 in district funds. view article

Ken Paxton’s office has sent a legal notice to Austin Independent School District after receiving a complaint alleging violations of Senate Bill 8. According to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the complaint claims both Austin ISD and Austin High School were aware that a biological male was using girls’ restrooms and locker rooms, which the state says would violate the law. view article

EDINBURG — The Texas Supreme Court pondered how far the state can go in limiting access to a public beach during oral arguments Thursday in a case involving the closure of Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX’s rocket launches.  Rio Grande Valley environmentalist and indigenous groups are suing the Texas General Land Office and Cameron County over a law, passed in 2013, that allows some counties to temporarily close a beach for space flight activities.   The lawsuit is among multiple waged over the years between local advocates and SpaceX as the space exploration company has continued to expand its physical footprint and the frequency of its rocket launches in South Texas. Both, activists argue, have caused harm to the local environment and impeded the public’s ability to access a beach that has to be closed off for safety when SpaceX is conducting its test launches. view article

As we all know by now, the 89th Legislative Session(s) brought numerous changes to the world of special education. In the midst of all of the high-profile special education legislation, one important change may have slipped through the cracks: House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 568 made changes to the requirements surrounding surveillance of special education settings.

A Pearsall Independent School District employee was arrested Wednesday afternoon after investigators found cocaine in her home, the Frio County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KSAT Investigates. view article

Former London ISD teacher Amber Prince received five years of deferred adjudication probation, including 12 days in jail each year. view article

The family of a 14-year-old student is suing McKinney ISD and former athletic trainer Lindsey Post following allegations of sexual assault and grooming.  Post was arrested and charged with two second-degree felonies after authorities reportedly discovered graphic text messages and "outcries" of sexual activity.  The suit claims the district failed to protect the minor by allowing her to be alone with Post; McKinney ISD has not yet commented. view article

The federal lawsuit argues Texas officials are engaging in religious discrimination by preventing Islamic private schools from accessing state voucher money. view article

Jurors on Thursday found two former Longview ISD educators guilty in the abuse of students in a J.L. Everhart Elementary life skills classroom. Former J.L. Everhart Principal Cassandra Renee James and former Curriculum Coordinator/Assistant Principal Linda Kay Browne Lister were both found guilty of injury to a child charges. view article

A Gregg County jury sentenced two former Longview ISD principals to probation for their roles in abusing elementary students with disabilities. Cassandra Renee James, 51, of Hallsville, and Linda Kaye Lister, 63, of Longview, were found guilty of injury to a child Thursday after a three-day trial in the 188th District Court. view article

A lawsuit has been filed against a former McKinney ISD athletic trainer who was accused of grooming, sending inappropriate messages, and sexually assaulting a student. The lawsuit also accuses the school district of allowing the 14-year-old victim to be alone with 35-year-old Lindsey Post. view article

The parents of a 14-year-old McKinney ISD student are suing the district and a former athletic trainer who was arrested for sexual assault. Lindsey Post was arrested last month on suspicion of sexual assault of a child and an improper relationship between an educator and student. The parents of the alleged victim are suing the district and Post in Collin County court. view article

AUSTIN, Texas — Most Texas school districts have declined to establish a daily prayer period after lawmakers required boards to formally consider the option under Senate Bill 11. view article

The United States Postal Service said they are aware of mail fraud for school property taxes in the Spring Branch area. The Spring Branch Independent School District's tax office confirmed to ABC13 that it has received concerns from people who've had their tax checks intercepted in the mail, the information changed, and that check fraudulently cashed. view article

School boards had until March 1 to decide whether to establish a daily period for students and staff to pray or read religious texts. view article

The trial of two former Longview ISD educators accused of involvement in the alleged abuse of students in a J.L. Everhart Elementary life skills classroom continued Wednesday. Former J.L. Everhart Principal Cassandra Renee James and former Curriculum Coordinator/Assistant Principal Linda Kay Browne Lister each face 16 counts of injury to a child and one count of abandonment or endangerment of a child. view article

One suspect was detained on Wednesday after issuing threats to Lamesa ISD, according to a social media post by Lamesa ISD officials. The district was made aware of the threat and immediately activated threat assessment protocols and notified local authorities. view article

The United States Postal Service said they are aware of mail fraud for school property taxes in the Spring Branch area. The Spring Branch Independent School District's tax office confirmed to ABC13 that it has received concerns from people who've had their tax checks intercepted in the mail, the information changed, and that check fraudulently cashed. view article

Wambsganss vastly outspent Rehmet throughout the campaign. She raised more than $2.5 million throughout her campaign, while Rehmet raised less than $400,000. Top Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, campaigned heavily for Wambsganss, encouraging Republicans to turn out and vote.  President Trump himself posted three separate messages about Wambsganns on social media in the days leading up to the election, calling her “a highly successful Entrepreneur, and an incredible supporter of our Movement to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” as well as “a GREAT Candidate” who “has my Complete and Total Endorsement." view article

A former substitute teacher at the Point Isabel Independent School District was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison on over 20 counts of child pornography-related charges, court records show. Leif Ericson Varnum secretly recorded kindergarten students while they used a classroom restroom with the door open, according to a statement from Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz. view article

Celina ISD announced the hiring of a new athletic director, Brent Whitson, after the previous leader retired when his son was arrested for sex crimes. view article

Milo went missing. Yet it wasn’t the lost puppy that gave people the jitters — it was the promise behind the story: That a communitywide web of home security systems could transform a neighborhood into a “Search Party.” The Super Bowl commercial set off public backlash against two leading surveillance companies, Amazon, which owns Ring doorbell cameras, and Flock Safety, which makes license plate reader cameras. Within days, the e-commerce giant announced it was ditching a planned partnership with Atlanta-based Flock. view article