Trouble with playground bullies started for Maria Ishoo’s daughter in elementary school. Girls ganged up, calling her “fat” and “ugly.” Boys tripped and pushed her. The California mother watched her typically bubbly second-grader retreat into her bedroom and spend afternoons curled up in bed. For Valerie Aguirre’s daughter in Hawaii, a spate of middle school “friend drama” escalated into violence and online bullying that left the 12-year-old feeling disconnected and lonely. Both children received help through telehealth therapy, a service that schools around the country are offering in response to soaring mental health struggles among American youth. view article

Leander ISD will soon have its own district police department. The Board approved a resolution at its Nov. 30 meeting establishing the department in accordance with the passage of House Bill 3. HB 3 requires all Texas school districts to have an armed officer on every campus or if a district is unable to do this, it must have a ‘good cause exception’ with an alternative plan. The bill was proposed in the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde where 19 children and two teachers were killed. view article

A suspect has been arrested after an Austin ISD Police Department officer was shot and injured near Northeast Early College High School on Tuesday morning. Police are also investigating a connection with the incident and multiple other shootings that happened later on Tuesday. The shooting occurred around 10:40 a.m. near the school, located at 7105 Berkman Dr., near US 290. Officials told KVUE the officer was shot in "an unprovoked way," where there had been no interaction between the officer and the suspect. view article

An Austin Independent School District police officer was expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday after getting shot in the leg, AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said. Law enforcement sources told KXAN on Tuesday night that a suspect was arrested in connection with a homicide and two separate shootings, which involved the AISD officer and an Austin police officer. view article

An Alief mother is speaking out after she claims her 11-year-old son was threatened with a gun and forced to fight other teenagers. It happened after school last week at an apartment complex off Shadowbriar Drive and Richmond Avenue. Now, the mother is determined to seek justice for her son. "They could have killed him, and before the video even started, they put the gun up to my son’s head," said Lucille Longoria, the mother of the 11-year-old Alief ISD student. view article

The Weslaco Police Department are investigating two separate threats made on social media against two middle schools in the Weslaco Independent School District. The separate threats were made against Central Middle School and B. Garza Middle School. "The Weslaco Police Department has become aware of multiple social media posts circulating on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram," Weslaco police said in a Facebook post. "We want to assure the Weslaco community that we are not only aware of these concerns, but are also actively investigating the incidents." Administrators with the district and the Central Middle School campus identified the individual after the threat was made, the district said in a social media post. view article

Midland ISD reported Monday that there was an increased police presence around San Jacinto Junior High on Monday. “MISD police received concerns over the weekend about a rumor of a possible threat to campus,” MISD reported. “MISD PD investigated and determined there is no threat to campus. Out of an abundance of caution additional police presence was requested to patrol the area.” Midland ISD action involving San Jacinto JH this year. view article

A Region 12 grant has brought STOPit by STOPit Solutions to Lufkin ISD. The online tool gives parents and students an anonymous approach to report bullying directly to school administration. “We had an older system, and it was meeting our needs, but this is a much better user-friendly program that we now have access to, and it comes with immediate alerts,” says Lufkin ISD Executive Director of Student Services and Federal Programs. view article

An Austin Independent School District police officer was shot on Tuesday, Dec. 5. The school district said the suspect was later arrested. Two law enforcement sources told FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski that the AISD officer was attacked and shot in the leg near Nelson Field across the street from Northeast Early College High School. According to FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis, the lockdown has been lifted. view article

U.S. District Judge Janis Jack on Monday considers whether state’s foster care agency has made progress caring for most vulnerable children or should be held in contempt for the third time in an ongoing 2011 lawsuit. view article

Across the country, states require more training to prepare students and teachers for mass shootings than for those expected to protect them. The differences were clear in Uvalde, where children and officers waited on opposite sides of the door. view article

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law SB 7, which bans private employers of any size from imposing or enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates as a condition of employment. The law will take effect on February 6, 2024. Specifically, under the law, a covered employer will not be permitted to: adopt or enforce a mandate requiring an employee, contractor, or applicant for employment or a contract position to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment or a contract position; or take an adverse action against an employee, contractor, applicant for employment or a contract position for a refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. view article

On October 20, Francesca Mani was called to the counselor’s office at her New Jersey high school. A 14-year-old sophomore and a competitive fencer, Francesca wasn’t one for getting in trouble. That day, a rumor had been circulating the halls: over the summer, boys in the school had used artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit and even pornographic photos of some of their classmates. She learned that she was one of more than 30 girls who may have been victimized. (In an email, the school claimed "far fewer" than 30 students were affected.) Francesca didn’t see the photo of herself that day. And she still doesn’t intend to. Instead, she’s put all her energy into ensuring that no one else is targeted this way. view article

On October 20, Francesca Mani was called to the counselor’s office at her New Jersey high school. A 14-year-old sophomore and a competitive fencer, Francesca wasn’t one for getting in trouble. That day, a rumor had been circulating the halls: over the summer, boys in the school had used artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit and even pornographic photos of some of their classmates. She learned that she was one of more than 30 girls who may have been victimized. (In an email, the school claimed "far fewer" than 30 students were affected.) Francesca didn’t see the photo of herself that day. And she still doesn’t intend to. Instead, she’s put all her energy into ensuring that no one else is targeted this way. view article

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – In October of 2023, Gadsden Independent School District partnered with KTSM Channel 9 and KTSM Peak Digital services to help draw awareness to the unique programs available as a Gadsden Independent School District student and aid in teacher recruitment. While meeting with Mr. Patrick Dempsey, Superintendent, Ms. Rosy Villalobos, Associate Superintendent for Federal Programs, and the leadership staff of GISD, I became aware of the fantastic and unique capabilities, programs, and resources that GISD provides their students. Among these programs is a specialized marketing and production class with all the abilities of a working marketing agency. I discussed my idea with leadership to allow the students to design and produce GISD’s digital marketing campaign from inception to production and have their work placed on KTSM.com. view article

Advocates say schools nationwide send kids for psych evals in response to behavior prompted by months or years of bullying. Most schools don't report the data. view article

The “Inside the Uvalde Response” film and related reporting by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and FRONTLINE analyze one of the most criticized mass shooting responses in recent history and show real-time insight into officers’ thoughts and actions. view article

Experts believe the cause of the increase in poisoning reports may extend beyond issues of melatonin safety.  Insomnia and melatonin supplementation are not words one would often associate with children.  But recent survey findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics suggest that melatonin consumption in U. S. children and adolescents is “exceedingly common.”  Around one-fifth of American children use melatonin for sleep, with some parents beginning administration to their children at the early age of 1, the authors wrote. view article

Police say a man shot his father to death, tried to steal cars at an elementary school, carjacked two people, and led police on a chase before he was shot and killed by a Spring Branch ISD officer. The incident began with a deadly shooting at a home on Thursday morning and ended outside a business in the Spring Branch area. view article

“We are aware of this and are working to get it resolved,” according to the district’s statement. “We appreciate your patience.” view article

A carjacking suspect who is accused of murdering his father is dead after being shot by an officer in northwest Houston Thursday morning. Spring Branch ISD police said the shooting happened in the 2800 block of Campbell Road around 7:20 a.m. SBISD police were notified about the suspect, whom KPRC 2 Investigates identified as Omar Rodarte, attempting to steal vehicles at Buffalo Creek Elementary School during the morning arrival. view article

Leading up to the winter break, Waco Independent School District teachers at each campus will be receiving training on how to stop a traumatic injury from bleeding as part of the district’s investment into school safety. The trainings, led by Rhiannon Settles, the district director of health services, are in part a response to the rise in school shootings and are mandated by a 2019 law that advanced as Texas House Bill 496. While the effort is a response to school shootings, the training can be applied to any number of situations, such as if a student is hit by a car or is injured by a fall on the playground, Settles said. Additionally, 10 kits with gauze, bandages, gloves, scissors and tourniquets will be installed at each campus. view article

Grapeland Independent School District (GISD) responded to an alleged threat made by a student on social media over the Thanksgiving break. There were no further updates as of press time as GISD released the following statement Monday, Nov. 27: view article

The Department of Public Safety for 18 months has blocked the release of its investigation of the shooting, and it could choose to appeal this latest ruling, too.  A Travis County state district judge has ordered the Department of Public safety to release law enforcement records related to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, more than a year after a consortium of news organizations sued for access. 261st Civil District Court Judge Daniella DeSeta Lyttle ordered DPS to fulfill 28 records requests filed by the news organizations, which include The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, subject to redactions such as personal information of police officers and blurring the faces of minor victims in crime scene photographs. view article

Staff at Waco ISD received “Stop the Bleed” training. They are being taught to recognize life-threatening bleeding and how to help effectively. Waco ISD says the “Stop the Bleed” training is crucial in the event of a crisis and is integral to Waco ISD’s safety measures for students and staff. Training will be held at different schools on Thursday and Friday. view article

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - In May of 2023, the Texas Legislature passed a bill that would allow unlicensed religious chaplains to work or volunteer at Texas public schools. While some districts have voted in favor of it, others have not. One school district in Laredo briefly spoke about the item; and some parents are sharing their thoughts on the matter. The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting that almost every county in the state is having problems hiring mental health staff. view article

Department leaders say they recognize that post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues are among the biggest dangers of the job. For more than a decade, Sam Buser watched the lights of fire trucks bounce off the city streets of Houston, heard the roars of burning blazes and stood before the caskets of too many firefighters. He never held a hose or kicked in a door, but, as senior psychologist for the Houston Fire Department, he spent many sleepless nights at fire stations. His job was to convince those who run toward the fire that it's okay to help themselves. But for much of his career, he was something of a rarity in Texas. Even as resources have been poured into law enforcement agencies for decades to solve well-publicized mental health issues, the same can’t be said for fire department view article

An East Texas substitute teacher, accused of having an improper relationship with a minor, is behind bars. The Smith County Sheriff's Office confirmed Davian Isaiah Hunter, 29, has been arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between an educator and a student. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on bonds totaling $500,000. view article

Starting in January, schools in the San Antonio area and nationwide will test their water for lead and copper. It’s part of the Environment Protection Agency’s new rule aimed at reducing amounts of those harmful metals in drinking water. As things stand now, there are no state or federal regulations on testing; however, Texas does offer a voluntary testing program for schools and childcare facilities. view article

Do primary school children influence the snack purchases of their peers? A study by the University of Bonn reveals that they do indeed. In the presence of friends or classmates, kids are more likely to choose the unhealthier, but also the cheaper option. These findings can support policymaking aimed at motivating primary schoolers to make healthier choices. The study was recently published in the journal Appetite. view article

As the dust settles from the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout over lockdown policies becomes more pronounced, some lockdown proponents, like New York University Professor Scott Galloway, have admitted they were wrong for supporting lockdowns. "I was on the board of my kid's school during COVID. I wanted a harsher lockdown policy. In retrospect, I was wrong," Mr. Galloway told Bill Maher. "The damage to kids of keeping them out of school longer was greater than the risk. But here's the bottom line, myself, our great people at the CDC, I'd like to think the governor, we were all operating with imperfect information, and we were doing our best." he said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "Let's learn from it. Let's hold each other accountable, but let's bring a little bit of grace and forgiveness," he said. view article

Christina Pinckney is the Deaf Education Coordinator for the Mesquite Regional Day School of the Deaf. Starting at North Mesquite High School, she has worked with Mesquite ISD for six years now, working with around 300 Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. view article

Casey Garcia said she was trying to make a point by proving how easy it was for an adult to enter campus, deputies said. A Texas mom was found guilty Wednesday for posing as her teenage daughter at a middle school to prove a point. In 2021, Casey Garcia, 30, pretended to be her 13-year-old daughter and attended several classes at San Elizario Middle School. She posted her day on TikTok, saying she was trying to make a point by proving how easy it was for an adult to enter campus, deputies said. view article

The Elsa Police Department on Monday arrested a juvenile linked to a threat made against Edcouch-Elsa ISD. In collaboration with the school district, the investigation began when they received information about the threat via social media Monday at about 6 a.m. view article

The mother of a Fort Bend ISD student enrolled in special education is suing the district for allegedly failing to protect her daughter from a sexual assault committed by another student. view article