A child has died of the flu in Tarrant County for the first time since 2015, authorities said Thursday.  The child had other health conditions that Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja did not describe.  “The patient tested positive for Influenza B, which is circulating early and predominantly this season,” he said.  Tarrant County Public Health did not report the date that the child died, or the child’s sex or age.   Three other children have died of the flu in Texas in the current season. view article

The government of Samoa will shut down for two days this week while officials try to curb a deadly measles outbreak that has sickened 3,728 and killed 53—48 of whom were children ages 0 to 4 years old.  The Pacific island nation of around 200,000 first declared an outbreak of measles on October 16. The highly contagious viral infection spread rapidly, and officials declared a state of emergency by mid-November. The outbreak has continued to flare, however. On Sunday, the government reported that there had been 198 new measles cases in the last 24 hours alone. view article

(CNN)An alleged anti-vaxxer has been charged with "incitement against the government vaccination order," the Samoan government said Thursday. The government of the Pacific Island nation has shut down in a desperate attempt to fight a deadly measles outbreak that has already claimed 62 lives.  Amid the outbreak, the government is also fighting the spread of anti-vaccination conspiracy theories on social media, which the authorities say is "another major reason for the increasing number of deaths." view article

LITTLE CYPRESS, Texas — Students at some Little Cypress-Mauriceville schools may have eaten lettuce that was on the FDA recall list before the district was notified. Mauriceville Elementary, Mauriceville Middle and LCM High School all served the lettuce to a 'minimal number of students' on Thursday.    Anyone who believes they are having these symptoms after eating at one of these campuses should see a doctor. view article

A loaded handgun was found on a Bowie County school bus at the middle school Thursday morning. At 10:20 a.m., Pleasant Grove ISD posted to their Facebook, that a student who was loading the bus reported the firearm to the bus driver, who immediately secured the scene and notified campus administration. view article

With mental health and wellness as its focus this year, the Student Health Advisory Council heard a presentation on trauma informed schools during its meeting Thursday. Executive Director of Guidance and Counseling Nancy Vanley spoke on the topic last school year, but the presentation has been tweaked in light of the Aug. 31 mass shooting. She noted that stressed brains can’t learn. view article

Chicago-based law firm Fegan Scott has levied a lawsuit against both Apple and Samsung, claiming that independent testing suggests the radiofrequency radiation levels in recent smartphones "far exceeded the federal limits" when used "as marketed by the manufacturers." The basis for this lawsuit dates back to August, when The Chicago Tribune launched an investigation into the radiofrequency radiation levels output by popular smartphones.   view article

Katy ISD police are investigating allegations that a 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on the campus of Mayde Creek High School, according to a school district spokesperson. The district cannot confirm the time or location of the alleged assault. Other media reports state it occurred during the day in late November. view article

Several places were put on lockdown Thursday in Reeves County. According to the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD Facebook page, the Reeves County Hospital was put on lockdown due to a domestic dispute. As a precaution, the district placed the schools on a soft lockdown to ensure the safety of students. Police were monitoring all entrances and exits to the schools. view article

A weapon was confiscated from a McCollum High School student on campus Thursday, according to a letter to parents. No students were harmed, Principal Jacob Garcia wrote, and Harlandale ISD Police Department and school administrators are investigating. Immediate disciplinary action will be taken. Garcia requested parents take the opportunity to remind their students that threats of violence are taken seriously and the person responsible could face criminal charges. view article

A Dallas ISD student was seen on video standing in the middle of the street begging to be let on a school bus Tuesday. Now the bus driver is on administrative leave as the district investigates the incident. "I know that he doesn't stop for nobody even though he sees you coming," the student told NBC 5. "He'll still leave you there. So I was like, 'No, not this time.'" view article

The principal of an elementary school says that drugs were brought to school and ingested by students on Thursday. Melinda Wiebold, principal of Fredonia Elementary School, wrote a letter to parents that stated a controlled substance was brought to school by a 5th grader and was shared with other students on Thursday. view article

According to a post on the Pleasant Grove Independent School District Facebook page, a loaded handgun was found on a Bowie County Transportation school bus at the middle school Thursday morning. At 10:20 a.m., the post states that a student who was loading the bus reported the firearm to the bus driver, who immediately secured the scene and notified campus administration.  view article

The teenager accused of the Santa Fe High School massacre has been transferred to a mental health facility. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 19, was transferred Thursday morning from the Galveston County Jail to the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon, officials confirmed. Last month, a judge ruled Pagourtzis was incompetent to stand trial. view article

Deaf students in the Abilene ISD area had the chance to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. They were shocked when they realized that Santa could actually communicate with them. “I’m so excited to see Santa and to see that he could sign I was completely shocked when I saw him, it was so cool!” said Mia, a Ward Elementary student. view article

Katy Independent School District police confirmed Thursday they are investigating allegations that a 16-year-old girl was attacked and raped in a secluded hallway near the cafeteria at Mayde Creek High School about 11:30 a.m. Nov. 22. view article

Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD placed their schools under a soft lockdown after the Reeves County Hospital went into a lockdown due to a domestic dispute. view article

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who serves as chair of the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services, held a hearing at the state capitol Tuesday to address questions and concerns about the rise in electric e-cigarette use and recreational vaping, especially among minors, according to a news release. The committee was tasked with studying the issue by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Across the nation, e-cigarettes have been linked to lung illnesses and deaths, referred to as e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury, or “EVALI.” view article

Lawmakers gathering in Austin Wednesday are tackling the subject of how law enforcement, mental health providers, fusion centers and social media companies can work together to prevent mass violence in the state. Officials from a handful of the world’s largest tech companies told a panel of state senators they are working alongside law enforcement agencies to thwart the next massacres in Texas. The head of the Texas Department of Public Safety sees it slightly differently. view article

Dozens of people attended a hearing of the Texas Senate Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety on Wednesday. The committee was formed in the wake of the El Paso shooting. "We are making a sincere, sincere, heartfelt attempt to stop this," said State Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), who chairs the committee. view article

North Texas leads the state in the number of severe lung injuries associated with vaping. There are now 210 Texas cases of severe lung disease in people who report vaping before seeing symptoms, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. view article

The number of student disciplinary referrals for tobacco products in McKinney ISD has quadrupled in the past five years, in large part due to the increased popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping, district officials say. Between January and October, McKinney police issued 108 citations for minors in possession of vapes, most of them on school grounds. To combat the growing problem, the district will launch an anti-vaping campaign in January to target not only students but also parents and district staff. view article

In light of frequent school shootings and increasing questions about how to keep students safe in today's day in age, Lubbock ISD is taking precautions. The school district is now looking into the idea of arming school personnel. On Tuesday night, the district invited parents to share their thoughts at Estacado high school. view article

Jackson State University says an active shooter is on its Mississippi campus and a lockdown is in effect. A Wednesday tweet from the school says the shooting suspect is in a black Honda Accord. The school says the entire campus should talk shelter immediately. view article

An individual at John Jay High School has tested positive for tuberculosis (TB) and may have come into contact with students and staff. The person who tested positive is currently off-campus and “will not return to school until no longer infectious,” a letter posted to the school’s website says in part. view article

A Dallas high school freshman is being praised for saving the life of a young girl who nearly drowned. Kaveion Morris, 15, attends Bryan Adams High School and was walking to the bus stop the morning of November 8 when he noticed something happening at a pool at the Vantage Point Apartments in Northeast Dallas. view article

Latest numbers from the Texas Department of State Health Services show an increase in cases of severe lung disease in people who report vaping before developing symptoms. There are now 210 cases across the state.  The increase in cases comes as lawmakers from the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee work to identify the main challenges in preventing youth vaping.  view article

Wisconsin high school resource officers have found themselves on the front lines in two student shootings in the past two days, underscoring how police in schools can face life-or-death situations and likely adding to the debate over the best ways to respond to school threats. An Oshkosh Police Department resource officer shot a 16-year-old student Tuesday after the boy stabbed him in the officer’s office at Oshkosh West High School. A day earlier, a resource officer at Waukesha South High School helped clear students out of a classroom after a 17-year-old student pointed a gun — it turned out to be a pellet gun — at another student’s head. Another police officer entered the room and shot the student. No one in either incident suffered life-threatening injuries. view article

Tuesday on KFYO Mornings with Dave King and Matt Martin, The Superintendent of the Lubbock Independent School District Dr. Kathy Rollo and the Executive Director of Communications and Community Relations Jeff Klotzman joined Dave and Matt to talk about several issues concerning the Lubbock School District including schools safety, monthly meetings for citizens, guns in schools, what will happen to Smylie Wilson middle school, standardized dress codes, and Lubbock Firefighter donations. view article

A Florida high school student has been arrested after authorities found a loaded gun in a bathroom. The Florida Times-Union reports Duval County school police officers arrested the Terry Parker High School student on Monday. They didn’t provide a name, age or gender of the student. view article

A former Cy-Fair ISD police officer who pleaded guilty to raping a 12-year-old girl from Deer Park has been sentenced to 10 years. Authorities say 23-year-old Jorge Luis Bastida pleaded guilty in November to one charge of sexual assault of a child under the age of 14 for having sex with a girl he met online. view article

A Central Texas school district is investigating allegations of a threat against a middle school. Early Wednesday morning, the District said the threat was "unfounded." School officials said they notified parents stating the following: view article

The parents of a 15-year old shot and killed inside of a northeast Houston home just before Thanksgiving say they want to know what really happened. view article

Mental health issues for adolescents are becoming an increasing concern for Texas school districts. In Mesquite ISD the demand for services has been on the rise for several years. In addressing the need MISD has partnered with Texas A&M University Commerce to provide post graduate counselors. The doctoral students serve an internship and meet with students and families in need of assistance. view article

Two Beaumont ISD schools were put on lockdown Tuesday afternoon after a Beaumont Police got a 911 call claiming there was a weapon on a campus. The lockdown was lifted at Vincent Middle School and Amelia Elementary after officers determined all campuses were secure. Officers checked all the district's campuses according to a BISD spokesperson.  view article