How Texas’ law banning DEI, LGBTQ+ topics in K-12 schools could fare in court

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  

Killeen ISD recognized as CTE District of Distinction

Killeen ISD has earned a special recognition for its Career and Technical Education program, the district has announced. The district shared that it has once again been recognized as a Career and Technical Education (CTE) District of Distinction by the Career & Technical Association of Texas. view article  

Texas is turning its public schools into hyper-partisan battlegrounds

When the Texas Education Agency Commissioner holds closed-door meetings with a national partisan group like Turning Point USA and the lieutenant governor follows up with a million-dollar pledge to put that group’s chapters in every high school, something fundamental is changing in our state. view article  

City View ISD recognized for excellence

City View ISD has been recognized as a Career and Technical Education District of Distinction by the Career and Technical Association of Texas for 2026. This prestigious award highlights districts that excel in providing high-quality CTE programs, demonstrating leadership, innovation, and a commitment to student success. view article  

Texas lawmaker says he donated enough Ten Commandment posters for every classroom in Manor ISD

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  

Texas Finalizes New Medical Cannabis Rules

Texas regulators have finalized a new set of rules that expands the state’s medical marijuana program, giving physicians a path to request new qualifying conditions and establishing guidelines for inhalation devices. view article  

Waco ISD partners with Waco Family Medicine for student mental health services

As more and more students face behavioral health challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and ADHD, Waco ISD is helping give their students access to licensed behavioral health professionals. Thanks to a new partnership between the district and Waco Family Medicine, clinicians with Waco Family Medicine will soon be placed at Cesar Chavez, Tennyson, and G.W. Carver middle school. view article  

SAT scores in Houston and Texas continue to decline, lag national average, new data shows

School districts in the Houston area saw another year of falling SAT scores, mirroring a national slide that has persisted since the pandemic. Newly released data from the Texas Education Agency shows that graduating seniors from public and nonpublic high schools earned an average total SAT score of 971 in 2024, marking at least six straight years of statewide declines. view article  

Bryan ISD Administrators Share With School Board Members What Happens After Voters Approved A $397 Million Dollar Bond Issue

Two weeks after voters in Bryan ISD approved bond issues for $397 million dollars of projects, administrators gave school board members the sequence of events that will take place. Construction will take place over multiple years. $290 million dollars of bonds will be purchased in August 2026, $60 million in August 2029, and $47 million in August of 2031. view article  

Belton ISD’s Chisolm Trail Elementary opens ‘Elf Closet’ program

Belton ISD's Chisolm Trail Elementary is bringing back a beloved tradition to help students in need this Christmas season, the Elf Closet. Every year since the school opened in 2013, Chisolm Trail has opened the Elf Closet, an annual holiday shop that allows parents to choose holiday gifts for their children, free of charge. view article  

Socorro ISD to celebrate students who have earned associate degrees

Socorro Independent School District will celebrate their early-college high-school students and P-TECH students who have earned associate degrees with a series of stole ceremonies this week. SISD will celebrate students at six of the district’s early college high schools who have earned an associate degree in the fall 2025 semester. The students will be presented with a stole to represent the milestone achievement and the degree that they have earned through the district’s partnership with El Paso Community College. view article  

Fort Bend ISD to focus elementary school rezoning, address new middle school boundaries

Fort Bend ISD will unveil elementary rezoning scenarios on Dec. 15. view article  

North Texas mayor offers to raise millions to keep Grapevine-Colleyville ISD campuses open as school board prepares to vote on closures

A North Texas mayor is offering to raise millions of dollars to spare two schools from closing, but he said the school district declined the offer. Grapevine Mayor William Tate has previously floated the idea of raising taxes to prevent Bransford and Dove elementary schools from closing within Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. That didn't take hold. view article  

Coahoma ISD to Host Annual Winterfest Celebration at Coahoma High School

Coahoma Independent School District is preparing to welcome families and neighbors to its cherished annual Winterfest on Thursday, December 4, 2025, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Coahoma High School. The evening offers the perfect way to kick off the holiday season with a festive mix of student talent, seasonal treats, and family fun. Guests can stroll through the school and explore impressive hands-on projects and demonstrations from the district’s Career and Technical Education programs, which highlight the practical, real-world skills students are gaining in areas such as agriculture, welding, health science, business, and more. view article  

Hundreds of Texas voters flagged as potential noncitizens may have already proven their citizenship

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  

FDA finally admits COVID-19 vaccine killed kids: ‘This is a profound revelation’

illions of Americans across the country were told during the pandemic to offer up their arms for the COVID-19 vaccines — the first-ever mRNA vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — if they wanted to keep their jobs, eat in public, stay in school, or visit their loved ones.  Government officials, the establishment media, and pharmaceutical representatives claimed that the vaccines were "safe and effective." Those who dared to suggest otherwise about the experimental drugs that were making liability-shielded vaccine manufacturers record profits were often attacked and censored.  Months after the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that "mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses," the Food and Drug Administration admitted in an internal letter that the COVID-19 vaccines killed numerous children. view article  

Why does Austin ISD send half of its property tax revenue back to the state?

While the largest portion of any Austinite’s property tax bill goes toward the local school district, almost half of what a local homeowner pays toward education actually leaves Austin, through a decades-old program called recapture. view article  

Former HISD, Klein ISD elementary school teacher accused of sexually assaulting kids captured in Peru

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  

Gatesville ISD employee passes away unexpectedly

Gatesville ISD announced that Intermediate aide Charlie Barnhill died unexpectedly during the Thanksgiving break. Barnhill graduated from GHS in 2011 and had a reputation as a talented musician during his high school years and afterward. He came back to GISD a couple of years ago to work as a substitute teacher. view article  

Round Rock ISD moves forward with bond-funded construction contracts, vehicle replacements

Round Rock ISD officials green-lit the purchase of maintenance vehicle replacements and approved construction contracts for several campuses in November.  The purchases and contracts are funded by 2024 bond monies, per the district.   What you need to know  Trustees approved contracts and purchasing orders replacing eight district vehicles, resurfacing the middle school track and hiring architects and construction managers for several campus renovations.   The contracts total just over $2.3 million in bond funds approved by voters in November 2024. view article  

Sulphur Springs ISD announces death of school principal

An East Texas school district has shared that they have lost one of their school principals. According to an announcement made on social media by Superintendent Deana Steeber, Sherry Sinclair, principal of Douglass Early Childhood Learning Center, died on Thanksgiving morning. Her cause of death was not shared. view article  

Montgomery Co. man who works as school bus driver charged with sexual assault of a child, MCSO says

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  

MCSO: Cleveland ISD school bus driver arrested on charge of sexual assault of a child

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  

Texas lawmaker says he donated enough Ten Commandment posters for every classroom in Manor ISD

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  

Why Galveston ISD mother says program and longtime leader ‘saved’ her and her children

For Mary Simms Patrick and Galveston ISD, that spirit is seen through their work helping students and their families through the district's Special Programs department. "We figure out what are the needs of the family. We have different organizations that help us with our food, help us with clothing," said Patrick, who serves as executive director. view article  

Decatur ISD announces death of middle school student following accident

The Decatur ISD community is mourning the death of a McCarroll Middle School student following a reported accident, district officials said Sunday. In a letter to families and staff, Decatur ISD confirmed the death of Treb McKinnon, a student at McCarroll Middle School. District officials did not release details about the accident. view article  

Cleveland ISD bus driver accused of sexual assault of child

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  

New charge, 3rd lawsuit filed against former Celina ISD coach Caleb Elliott

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  

Temple High School announces delayed start time due to broken water line

Temple High School will experience a two-hour delay start on Monday, Dec. 1, because of a broken water line on 31st Street, according to Temple ISD. Classes will officially begin at 9:30 a.m. and high school buses will also run two hours later. Dismissal is expected to be unaffected, the school said. view article  

A slate of new Texas laws go into effect December and January. Here’s what to watch.

Dozens of new Texas laws will take effect in December and January, bringing wide-ranging changes to the state’s education system, law enforcement, taxes and more.  Over 800 laws from this year’s regular legislative session already took effect on Sept. 1, but more measures from that period as well as the second special session will soon activate. Some also had to wait for voters’ approval, such as more tax exemption for businesses’ inventory. view article  

In school voucher rules, Texas lets families get more for pre-K but rejects stronger accountability

Texas’ chief financial officer on Tuesday finalized rules for the state’s private school voucher program, clearing up confusion about funding for pre-kindergarten students and setting official dates for schools and families to apply — but declining to change certain special education components or tack on additional accountability requirements.  Private schools and vendors who currently participate in an existing state initiative for students with disabilities can apply on Dec. 9, while applications for nonparticipants are set to open shortly after.   The state will then allow families to start applying on Feb. 4, the date Texas’ finance chief and Odyssey — the finance and technology company helping administer the program — had agreed upon in their contract.   The program, which the Texas comptroller’s office oversees, will officially launch at the start of the 2026-27 school year.  view article  

Happy Thanksgiving

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Deadline extended for applications to Fort Worth ISD’s board of managers

Mike Morath, the Texas Education commissioner, tours through a classroom following a press conference regarding the updated A-F scores of Dallas and Fort Worth schools at Walnut Hill International Leadership Academy in Dallas on Aug. 15, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com  Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article312984623.html#storylink=cpy view article  

Citing health issues, Edgewood ISD board member resigns 1 year before term ends

Luis Gomez, a trustee for Edgewood Independent School District, resigned from his position on the school board on Tuesday.   Gomez cited health concerns in a statement to the board explaining why he’s stepping down.   “I need to take care of medical issues due to my service in the military,” he said. “I want to be perfectly clear that it’s health issues and nothing else.” view article  

Austin ISD board votes to close 10 schools, overhaul programs after heated debate

The Austin school board approved 10 school closures, moving most wall-to-wall dual language programs and launching state turnaround plans to curb a $65M deficit. view article