Texas law requires an armed officer at each school. Districts are asking lawmakers to pay the full yearly cost, which they say is $100 per student.   view article

The death of an 11-year-old at a Greenville residential treatment center is among 16 deaths reported in the Texas foster care system in the last 15 months.   view article

Lubbock Public Health Confirms Measles Outbreak in Gaines County, Increased Risk for Unvaccinated Individuals view article

Uncertainty at the federal level is fueling efforts by GOP state lawmakers long opposed to the program.   view article

Health officials in western Texas are trying to contain a measles outbreak among mostly school-aged children, with at least 15 confirmed cases. It's the latest outbreak of a disease that had been virtually eliminated in the U.S., and it comes as vaccination rates are declining — jeopardizing the country's herd immunity from widespread outbreaks. view article

This comes after Attorney General Ken Paxton sent demand letters to two other districts to prove they are abiding by state law protecting girls’ sports.   view article

A Magnolia ISD student has been arrested for threatening to shoot two other students at Magnolia Intermediate School, according to the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constable's Office. Magnolia ISD told KHOU 11 in a statement that its administration was made aware of the threat on Saturday when a concerned parent reached out to them and the constable's office. view article

The state has shut down a residential treatment center in northeast Texas, three months after one of its charges — an 11-year-old boy — died in an incident that foster care officials and local law enforcement are investigating. view article

New strain of bird flu found for 1st time in U.S. dairy cattle, Nevada herds infected   view article

Panhandle school districts, including Dalhart ISD, are discussing changes to their drop-off and pick-up lines following a tragic accident. After the loss of an elementary school student in Borger made national coverage, Dalhart ISD is looking at what they can learn from the tragedy. “We’ve been there. We know what heartbreak is, but unfortunately in tragic situations it causes everybody to self-reflect and look in the mirror and see what we can do better. So absolutely, our hearts go out to them 100%,” said Jeff Byrd, Dalhart ISD Superintendent. view article

On Sept. 11, Diana Briggs’ son was at home and she was at his elementary school looking for a video. The night before, her 6-year-old told her an upsetting story. He said his first-grade teacher trapped him behind a classroom door at Margaret T. Reilly Elementary School and then pushed on it with his weight. Briggs said it lasted long enough that her son looked around the hallway for someone who might have seen them. She shared what her son told her with his school, and then the police. view article

A Canyon ISD school bus was involved in a crash with a semi at US and FM 2590 on Tuesday afternoon. According to law enforcement, the semi ran a red light and collided with the bus as it was turning north. Students from Spring Canyon Elementary and Canyon Intermediate School were on the bus with the majority being unharmed but one student was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries as a precaution. view article

In arid West Texas, water seeps and bubbles from old wells, sometimes carrying oil, brackish water or other pollutants to the surface. But the real danger lies underground — where oil, salt, and toxic minerals could migrate into the aquifers that supply water to cities, farms and ranches. view article

Southland ISD is canceling classes for Monday, Feb. 3 and Tuesday, Feb. 4 to give staff and students time to recover from the flu. The district posted this announcement to Facebook around 12:30 p.m. Saturday: view article

LUBBOCK — Just as quickly as the bird flu is spreading, the virus is changing. view article

For the past two years, religious and humanitarian organizations have provided food and aid to migrants at a camp near Sasabe, Arizona. Just before Donald Trump took office, volunteers were told to clear off federal land. view article

Following suit behind Iowa Park CISD, another Texoma school district has announced a temporary closure due to illness. Holliday ISD announced in a Facebook post that they would be closed Monday, February 3, “in an effort to slow down the illness and give everyone an extra day to recover.” view article

A Mansfield ISD student was arrested after a gun was found in his backpack on Friday morning, officials said. He now faces a second-degree felony charge of possessing a weapon in a place where it's prohibited. Texas School Shooting Legacy High School Principal Stephanie Bonneau informed parents via email about the incident involving a student carrying a firearm on campus. view article

SAN JUAN, Texas – From Monday, July 25, to Saturday, July 30, the Texas Health and Human Services will carry out Operation Border Health/Preparedness (OBHP). OBHP is a program that sets up sites around the Rio Grande Valley, offering residents free health services. Services include general physician services, immunizations, screenings, sport physicals, dental services, vision services, and more. Although assisting the public in maintaining their health is a goal of OBHP, the underlying purpose is to assist the community in preparing for disasters. State Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, said Operation Border Health Preparedness allows state, local, and nonprofit entities to practice setting up and operating health clinics that may be needed in the case of a public health emergency, while providing free care to the community. He said services include medical exams, immunizations for children and adults, sports physicals for students, health and diabetes screenings, and dental and vision exams. “Operation Border Health Preparedness is a great example of a smart policy that not only ensures we are prepared for future public health crises, but also provides an immediate public benefit in the process,” Hinojosa said. view article

Police officials and law enforcement experts say there’s no guarantee that officers will follow their training and confront a shooter — no matter how much training they have.  In the weeks since officers in Uvalde waited more than an hour to confront a gunman who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school, police departments across the state have asked themselves a crucial question: If they faced a similar situation, would they be able to quickly stop the gunman?  The images of parents and students pleading with officers to take action at Robb Elementary School on May 24 before a tactical team of federal agents finally breached a classroom and fatally shot the 18-year-old gunman deeply disturbed Marfa police Chief Estevan Marquez. view article

An increase in COVID-19 cases among children in El Paso is resulting in more absences at some schools. "Last week my child had a light cough so we decided not to take her to school to not expose the other children to her cough," said El Paso ISD parent Guerrero Garcia. view article

Some Brenham ISD parents are concerned about the safety of their children aboard school buses, while the district struggles to find people to drive them. Overcrowding and longer run times for some buses has parents worried and debating whether their children should be using school transportation. One parent, Cassi Harrison, has pulled her three children off after she says her daughter had to sit on the floor of her elementary school bus, which had students from two bus routes. Harrison says the safety of the children needs to be addressed. view article

Saying positive cases of COVID-19 are climbing to "very high rates" in the district, the Richardson ISD says they are once again temporarily implementing a mask requirement for everyone inside K-12 schools. In a letter to parents, the district said active cases of COVID-19 have increased from 49 on Dec. 7 to 1,089 on Jan. 6, an increase of more than 2100%. The previous pandemic-high number of positive cases in RISD was 367 on Sept. 3. view article

They say participation is strictly voluntary, but the Fort Worth Independent School District is offering a one-time $500 incentive to employees who get fully vaccinated against COVID. Administrators say the money is an ‘effort to provide safe and healthy environments for students, staff and visitors’. view article

In a video address by the Conroe ISD superintendent, Dr. Curtis Null gave an update on the latest numbers on Friday as COVID-19 cases in the district continue to climb. Dr. Curtis Null, the Conroe ISD Superintendent, said, “We need to do something as a community to help make sure that we can keep our schools open and keep our kids safe.” According to the district in the first two weeks of the school year, there have been over 1,100 reported positive cases that included 962 students and 176 staff. view article

Houston ISD students and employees who refuse to wear masks when the school year begins could face discipline and be forced to temporarily learn online under new guidelines released by the district. With exceptions and reasonable accommodations made for people with a “documented medical disability,” the district’s updated back-to-school plan, released Friday evening, says that those who refuse to comply with the mask mandate will face consequences. view article

As COVID-19 cases rise and schools begin to come back into session, the safety of students is a top priority for many school districts. According to a social media post by Jim Hogg County Judge Juan Carlos Guerra, JHC ISD is taking precautions to protect students against rising case numbers. view article

The largest school district in the San Antonio area said Wednesday they will not be enforcing a mask mandate, “for now,” despite a county-wide requirement issued Tuesday that students and teachers wear masks in public schools. A Northside Independent School District spokesperson told KSAT that the district will continue to “strongly encourage the use of facemasks by students, staff, and visitors to district facilities and events” but stopped short of requiring them. Meanwhile, they will “closely monitor the changing guidelines and directives” and alert the public of any change to the policy before the district’s start date on Aug. 23, the spokesperson said. view article

Round Rock ISD parents are divided on COVID-19 masking protocol, with some fighting to keep mask rules in place for their schools and others wanting it to be a choice. The school district's board of trustees recently considered relaxing the mask requirement, but voted to keep the rules in place through the end of the calendar year. view article

All Fort Worth ISD employees will soon be offered a COVID-19 vaccine. Superintendent Kent Scribner sent the information to employees on Thursday. The email states that all employees, including part-time and substitute workers, will be invited to sign up for the vaccine through the school district. view article

During and after a Nov. 9 meeting, Friendswood ISD board members and parents discussed the merits and challenges of structural changes to the district’s virtual learning program. Guidance from the Texas Education Agency released Nov. 5 gave the district significantly more options when it comes to virtual learners, officials said. But that guidance continues to change. view article

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Mackenzie Middle School has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 at the school. Mackenzie Middle School release a statement to parents confirming the case of COVID-19 on August 26, 2020. view article

School districts across the Brazos Valley will be heading back to school in the next few weeks but many are dealing with new protocols as the pandemic continues into the new school year. One area that many districts are dealing with is extracurricular activities. KBTX spoke to Bryan ISD’s Fine Arts Director, Patrick Corbett about how the district’s protocols are adjusting to fit the needs and safety for those who choose to participate. view article

The union for Austin Independent School District employees is asking the district and the state not to send employees back to school buildings in August. Union members say it is unsafe for employees and children to be in classes together. During an online news conference Wednesday, Education Austin President Ken Zarifis said the union is asking AISD to commit to online learning only for the first nine weeks of the semester, while monitoring Covid-19 cases in the city. He also asked that increased pay for employees like cafeteria workers and other support staff continue. view article