Ahead of a regents vote Wednesday, the acclaimed former state lawmaker speaks to the Statesman about what led him here and how he will lead view article

San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) adopted a new cellphone policy that bans students from using the devices during the entire school day, including lunch and hallways. Students must keep their communication devices out of sight and in silent mode. view article

Bobby Lumpkin, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s COO, will take over the the top role on Sept. 1, following Bryan Collier’s retirement. view article

BROWNWOOD, Texas — Brownwood Independent School District (BISD) is inviting the community to two events at Gordon Wood Stadium.  The Brownwood Lions Scrimmage is scheduled for Thursday, August 21, with the freshman/junior varsity game at 6 p.m. and the varsity game at 7 p.m.  The "Meet the Lions" event will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.  RELATED | Brownwood ISD football season ticket renewals now open  Attendees are advised to exercise caution due to construction, adhering to fencing and restricted areas for safety. view article

Officials say they're investigating Nazi flags found hanging outside a Rockwall ISD school over the weekend. The Heath Department of Public Safety said it responded to a report of "antisemitic materials" outside Rockwall-Heath High School around 6:40 a.m. Saturday. Photos circulating on social media show the two Nazi flags hanging up on the east side of the building. view article

The Boerne Independent School District Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) set for November 4, 2025. The election will ask voters to consider a three-cent increase to the district’s Maintenance and Operations tax rate, potentially generating an estimated $4.8 million annually for the district. view article

Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn launched state and federal investigations into the East Plano Islamic Center's proposed EPIC City project meant to build about 1,000 homes and a mosque in the Dallas suburb of Josephine. view article

Inflated numbers: For decades, leftists have taken advantage of the U.S. Census by counting illegal aliens and emphasizing racial and ethnic background in the Census questionnaire—both of which affect the funding and power of blue districts.  ]But the Trump administration is moving in the right direction.  “Unbeknownst to most people, the administration has already done a great deal of good to stop the census from balkanizing the country by quietly shuttering the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations,” writes Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow in Heritage's Davis Institute. view article

The number of students experiencing homelessness across the state of Texas has continued to rise over the last few years. According to TEA data, during the 2021 to 2022 school year, there were more than 97,000 students experiencing homelessness in public schools in Texas. If you jump ahead to the 2023 to 2024 school year, the number jumped to more than 121,000 students experiencing homelessness. view article

Inside Frisco ISD's newly expanded Career & Technical Center, Superintendent Mike Waldrip boasted about the partnerships Frisco ISD is forming year after year to help connect its graduates to jobs. "We bring in mentors from the business community. And the students are actually learning from business professionals. They're learning about the areas that they're interested in from those people that actually do this work," said Frisco ISD Superintendent Mike Waldrip. view article

The Leander Independent School District is starting the new school year on a somber note. The July 5 flooding killed two students. The district almost made budget cuts and laid off some staff earlier this year. KXAN’s Barrett Tryon sat down and talked to Leander ISD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Gearing about some of the challenges the new year brings. view article

As federal government officials ramp up immigration enforcement and deportations across the country, Fort Worth city officials appear to have no plans to actively target, identify or detain undocumented residents. Five City Council members — Alan Blaylock, Carlos Flores, Mia Hall, Jeanette Martinez and Chris Nettles — told the Fort Worth Report that the council has not had formal discussions on how to approach immigration enforcement locally. Mayor Mattie Parker and the other five council members did not return requests for comment.  view article

Five Northside Independent School District (NISD) schools were hit with power outages on the first day of school, according to a district official. The power outages began showing on CPS Energy’s power outage map just after 6 a.m., with the most significant showing on the Northwest Side. view article

The Port Arthur Independent School District sent a letter to parents after the first two days of school, thanking families for their support and addressing concerns while clarifying district policies. More than 1,000 students did not register before the first day of school, according to the letter. The district said students who were completely registered "were able to begin classes without the frustration of traveling to unfamiliar locations or face delays." view article

Around 80,000 students returned to Fort Bend ISD schools Tuesday, and for some, the first day of the new year came with a major upgrade. This year, the district opened three new elementary campuses — including a brand-new Mission Elementary School built on the site of the old campus that was demolished a few years ago. The new building now houses students from Mission Bend and Mission Glen. view article

Wednesday was the first day of the 2025-26 school year for students in multiple Angelina County school districts.  Central ISD Superintendent Justin Risner said it was a good day and everyone was excited to be back. The district’s enrollment is up this year.  Risner thanked the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety for patrolling CISD’s school zones. He also asked for the community’s patience when it comes to traffic congestion in the mornings and afternoons and said the district is working on plans to alleviate traffic.  “Our campuses open to Highway 69, so we appreciate our law enforcement partners and their efforts to keep our kids safe,” Risner said.  Diboll ISD Superintendent Igor Gusyakov said everything went as planned and that he visited each campus in the district to meet students and parents. Gusyakov said students and teachers were both nervous and excited for the year to begin.“There is a lot of excitement in the air in Diboll,” he said. view article

Legacy High School and Legacy Freshman are returning to Lee High School and Lee Freshman School; the Midland Independent School District voted 4-3 in favor on Tuesday. The decision came after a four-hour meeting and more than 50 public comments. In 2020, Robert E. Lee High School was renamed to Legacy High School due to concerns over its association with the Confederate general who fought to preserve slavery during the Civil War. The name has remained a point of controversy, dividing parents, students, teachers and alumni. view article

Republicans believe population increases in red states, such as Texas, would offset losses from not counting immigrants who lack legal status. view article

The Midland Independent School District’s board of trustees voted Tuesday night to rename a school after Robert E. Lee, reversing a former board’s efforts to distance itself from the Confederate general five years ago. In a divided 4-3 vote, the trustees voted to return one of its schools, formerly Legacy High, back to Midland Lee High. view article

At the start of every school year, concerns about dress codes resurface. One mother in Huckabay ISD, a small district in Erath County, said her daughter was humiliated after being singled out for wearing yoga pants. Shallen Fishel said that on the second day of school, her 12-year-old daughter called to say her outfit violated the dress code and that administrators told her to change clothes. view article

More than 13,800 students will return to Georgetown ISD on the first day of school Aug. 14.  Here is some key information to know as the 2025-26 school year begins.  The overview: The 2025-26 calendar includes these key dates: view article

Many protests, rallies, petitions and calls for racial equality were sparked in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020.  School districts across the country responded by renaming schools, seeking to address historical racism by removing the names of American figures who were known to have owned slaves, fought on behalf of the Confederate army, supported segregation or otherwise furthered racism against Black Americans.  In Midland, Floyd’s death inspired a petition to rename Midland’s Robert E. Lee High School, and the Midland ISD board of trustees voted 5-2 to rename the school Legacy High School in 2020.  At its recent July board meeting, trustees voted unanimously to add criteria to its board policy that prohibits the naming of a district facility after someone who has gone to war against the United States. view article

Five Northside Independent School District (NISD) schools were hit with power outages on the first day of school, according to a district official. The power outages began showing on CPS Energy’s power outage map just after 6 a.m., with the most significant showing on the Northwest Side. view article

For Arlington resident Mikaila Smith, the lead-up to the 2025-26 school year has been stressful. Both Smith’s son and daughter start public school at Mary Moore Elementary this fall.  Balancing the pressure of switching her children into AISD from private school and the rising costs of supplies is a tall order, but she found help at Arlington ISD’s 11th annual Back to School Kickoff at AT&T Stadium.   “Something like this is really beneficial, especially for a lot of kiddos in this area,” Smith said. Approximately 25,000 gathered at the home of the Dallas Cowboys for the Aug. 2 event, according to the district.  view article

BROWNWOOD, Texas — Brownwood Independent School District has introduced a new way for families to connect with the school. ParentSquare, a new all-in-one communication platform designed to streamline how schools communicate with families. According to the district, they aim to consolidate multiple tools into a single, "user-friendly" system for both staff and families.  According to Brown ISD, the platform offers automatic translation of communications into families' preferred languages and provides options for receiving updates via email, app, voice, or text. This initiative supports meaningful engagement across the district's diverse community.  ParentSquare also eases the administrative workload by integrating with the district's student information system, replacing manual processes with paperless workflows. Teachers and coaches can communicate with their teams, classes, students, and parents through custom groups, track engagement, and send real-time updates using one tool instead of managing multiple systems. view article

I’ve been fortunate to experience what many would consider a successful career. I’ve served as a superintendent in two districts, been named Illinois State Superintendent of the Year, published books, given keynotes nationally, and led award-winning school improvement efforts. But I say this with complete honesty: Nothing was more difficult than my first year as a principal. view article

Lawmakers focused a lot of bills on education during the regular session. Now they are law. From a total cell phone ban in all schools to requiring the display of the 10 commandments in classrooms. When classes begin next week for most school districts, there will be a big change for students. view article

After Governor Greg Abbott recently signed the bill banning cell phones in Texas schools, NewsChannel 10 is gathering the new or updated policies for area school districts. view article

Several Central Texas school districts are inching closer to the first day of school. KWTX is tracking new laws put into place in the Lone Star State education system. Come September, classrooms will be required to display the 10 Commandments. The law states the poster of the commandments must measure at 16 inches and 20 inches tall. view article

Trump orders work on new census, says people in US illegally 'WILL NOT BE COUNTED'  President Donald Trump declared in a Thursday morning Truth Social post that he has directed the Commerce Department to start working on a new census, noting that illegal aliens in the U.S. will not be included in the population count.  "I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024," the president said in the post.  view article

Just days before the first day of school at the newly constructed Homer C. Calfee Middle School, part of Willis ISD, the City of Conroe shut off the school’s water service. The school is set to welcome more than 800 students on August 13, but parents said important back-to-school events like orientation have been postponed because of the water permitting problem. view article

A new school year means even more classroom time for students at 15 Fort Worth ISD schools, the district announced. To accelerate academic growth, the Fort Worth ISD School Board approved a plan to add additional school days at 15 campuses. At these schools, the school year will begin Aug. 12 and extend to June 30. The plan adds 25 more instructional days for students at those campuses. view article

As students prepare to return to class, HISD is rolling out a new cell phone ban under a new state law that takes effect this school year. The law, House Bill 1481, requires all Texas school districts to restrict students from using personal electronic devices during the school day. That includes cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, headphones, and earbuds. view article

The countdown for returning to class is on with most Houston-area students starting a new school year next week. This weekend also marks Tax-Free Weekend where shoppers can purchase many school essentials without paying sales tax. To help out, many major retailers across the country and in the Houston area currently have deals to help students return to class or to college without breaking the bank.   Here are some of the deals:  view article

The agency initially blocked the payout because of two state investigations into now-banned lottery courier services, one of which sold the winning ticket. view article