During the 89th Legislative Regular Session, the Texas Legislature passed several bills that impact school district construction projects and procurement of construction-related services. Although this session was not particularly heavy on construction-related legislation, the following bills may have significant effects on procurement processes, conflicts of interest in bidding on and awarding of projects, hiring restrictions due to contractor/subcontractor conduct, audits, and defect claims.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Monday evening in an ABC 13 interview that she will not seek re-election in 2026.  Earlier this month, during her State of the County address, Hidalgo told the public that her decision would come “very, very, very soon.” Her announcement ends months of speculation, as she had repeatedly teased her future plans. view article

The attorney general has issued civil investigative demands to determine if political agendas are driving financial recommendations. view article

Threatening biblical plagues, demanding new taxes and firing off requests in foreign languages, Angelina County resident David Stua has turned Texas’ open records law into a weapon that county officials say is draining resources and costing taxpayers.  Stua is not a public official, but he has become a fixture in county government through an unrelenting campaign of public information requests and legal threats. In the past few months alone, officials say he has filed hundreds of records requests, some seeking searches of thousands of email addresses, others written entirely in Italian.  Stua has recently filed three new lawsuits against Angelina County in district court. To handle the cases, commissioners formally hired the Austin law firm Allison, Bass & Magee. Under the retainer approved Tuesday, Aug. 26, principals will bill at $400 per hour, associates at $300 per hour and paralegals at $150. view article

Texas’ foreign land ban is being challenged in a federal court of appeals. The lawsuit was filed by the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance, a New Jersey-based nonprofit.  The ban, also known as Senate Bill 17, prohibits foreign adversaries—such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—and entities from those nations from acquiring real estate in Texas. It also includes provisions to allow the attorney general to investigate violations and initiate divestment actions in court. view article

A Kemp ISD teacher was arrested for child grooming Sept. 9 by Kemp ISD Police. According to a statement from Kemp ISD Superintendent Dr. James Young Sept. 5, KISD Police and Administration were made aware of a concern regarding the actions of a Kemp High School employee. The district and administration immediately began reviewing and investigating an allegation of the employee engaging in inappropriate conduct. view article

Trustees in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD voted 6-1 Monday to adopt updated board operating procedures after a controversy over audio recordings and concerns over trustees' requests for information prompted the board to revisit the document. The updated procedures require trustees to ask for consent when recording conversations with a community member, Cy-Fair ISD employee or another trustee. The procedures also clarify the process for board members to make formal requests for both information. view article

Edgewood Independent School District’s board voted in favor of sanctioning its youngest trustee Michael Valdez during a special meeting Monday night. In a 6-1 vote, the board sanctioned 21-year-old Valdez for violating board policies because he did an interview with KENS 5 without authorization from the board president. Valdez was the lone “no” vote. view article

The Arp ISD Board of Trustees is seeking to fire an assistant principal accused of failing to report knowledge of a sexual assault of a child allegedly committed by her adult son. The school board voted Monday to begin the start of the termination process for Karla Florence, who was arrested in August and charged with Class A failure to report and Class B false report to a peace officer. view article

A Huntsville ISD mother says her 9-year-old son’s life has been turned upside down after a fight at school left him hospitalized with severe head injuries. The incident happened Friday around 1:30 p.m. inside the gymnasium at Samuel Walker Houston Elementary School. According to a letter sent home to parents, the campus went into “temporary hold” status while an ambulance was called to handle the situation. view article

Fernando Escobar, 42, was arrested last week and charged with the sexual assault of a child. Police said the alleged crime happened more than 10 years ago when Escobar was an athletic trainer for Decatur ISD. The victim was a minor at the time. view article

Syllabi and new audio show more about what’s happening in Aggieland.  After first defending the course, Texas A&M President Mark Welsh has announced the termination of a professor who included instruction on introducing LGBT topics to minors in a children’s literature class. The professor had ignited statewide controversy after a viral video and recorded audio displayed university leaders defending the class content even as lawmakers and the governor demanded accountability and firings. view article

Calls for Muslim businesses in Houston to comply with Sharia law have drawn sharp rebukes from Texas officials, including Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott. view article

Threatening biblical plagues, demanding new taxes and firing off requests in foreign languages, Angelina County resident David Stua has turned Texas’ open records law into a weapon that county officials say is draining resources and costing taxpayers.  Stua is not a public official, but he has become a fixture in county government through an unrelenting campaign of public information requests and legal threats. In the past few months alone, officials say he has filed hundreds of records requests, some seeking searches of thousands of email addresses, others written entirely in Italian.  Stua has recently filed three new lawsuits against Angelina County in district court. To handle the cases, commissioners formally hired the Austin law firm Allison, Bass & Magee. Under the retainer approved Tuesday, Aug. 26, principals will bill at $400 per hour, associates at $300 per hour and paralegals at $150. view article

Brian Harrison shared audio he says is of TAMU president Mark Welsh defending teaching transgenderism.  Texas A&M could face a federal investigation following revelations that a course instructor removed a student from class over objections to a discussion about exposing children to transgenderism.  At issue is a video, obtained by State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian), that shows a discussion about transgender topics in a children’s literature class. view article

Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general running for US Senate, has long believed in school prayer. Now, he’s prescribing precisely what type of prayer he wants the state’s 6 million public school students to recite. “In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up,” Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday, encouraging students to say “the Lord’s Prayer, as taught by Jesus Christ”. view article

Last week, I asked what you think about the new Texas law requiring classrooms in public schools to display the Ten Commandments. The vast majority of you are firmly opposed. Here, lightly edited, are some of your responses. view article

HOUSTON — At a Pentecostal church in a shopping center just north of the city, the pastor called the children toward the pulpit for a Mother’s Day blessing. Brothers Isaac, 12, and Jeremiah Avila, 10, stepped forward holding cards they made for their mother, Margarita.  Their smiles vanished as the mothers approached to hug and kiss their children — no one came for them. view article

A Mineola woman has pleaded guilty to stealing over $29,000 from Alba-Golden ISD when she worked for the district. Jade Sheridan Bowden, 28, was arrested on July 18 after being accused of stealing the money while working for the school as a financial officer from February 2024 to April 2025, according to the Wood County District Attorney’s Office. As a result of her plea, Bowden was placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay $1,000 in fines. She will also pay $29,245.42 in restitution to Alba-Golden ISD. view article

The attorney general argued that blocking the display of the Ten Commandments constitutes a misinterpretation of constitutional principles.  Attorney General Ken Paxton is escalating efforts to require the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, appealing a federal injunction and instructing districts not affected by ongoing litigation to comply with the new law.  Following a federal judge’s decision to block enforcement of Senate Bill 10—which mandates that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every Texas public school classroom—Paxton has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and requested that the case be heard en banc by all active judges, rather than by a three-judge panel.  view article

Multiple organizations are suing the University of Texas System as a means of undoing a new state law meant to counter disruptive activities on college campuses. The law in question is Senate Bill 2972, which took effect September 1. It was designed to protect freedom of expression for students while establishing guardrails to prevent the type of disruptive chaos that occurred at UT-Austin in 2024. view article

Texas school districts must decide whether to display Ten Commandments posters in every classroom before a new law requiring them to goes into effect Monday, even as its fate remains tied up in court. A federal judge enjoined 11 school districts from displaying the posters last week, in the wake of a community-led lawsuit, but Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed that ruling and said in a statement earlier last week that districts not enjoined by the court ruling must comply with the law, Senate Bill 10. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against PowerSchool, a California-based education technology company, after a massive data breach compromised the private information of more than 880,000 Texas school-aged children and teachers. The breach, which occurred in December 2024, exposed an extraordinary volume of sensitive data—including names, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, disability records, medical histories, special education details, and even school bus stop information. view article

Jody Edwards was fired from Waco High School after his arrest for felony child grooming. view article

A now-former Lubbock teacher and coach is accused of sexually assaulting an underage student multiple times at school and exchanging “numerous” nude images with the girl via cellphone.  Jeremy Scott Maxfield, 41, was arrested by U.S. Marshals and charged with three counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of improper relationship between educator and student.  The alleged assaults occurred in 2019 while the victim was a student in Lubbock Independent School District. view article

A San Antonio KIPP charter school teacher was arrested after a 15-year-old female student accused the educator of forcibly hugging and fondling her at the end of the last school year.  Priscilla Castro, 27, was arrested Friday night on a charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.  Castro was a teacher at KIPP University Prep High School in San Antonio when the alleged sexual misconduct occurred on May 23. view article

A lawmaker will now be tasked with implementing the law he wrote.   State Sen. Brandon Creighton is expected to be named the sole finalist for the Texas Tech University System’s Chancellorship.  Cody Campbell, chairman of the Texas Tech Board of Regents, announced August 31 that “after a lengthy, thorough, and comprehensive search, I expect that the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents will unanimously name Senator Brandon Creighton as the Sole Finalist for our Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.”  Campbell further called Creighton “a strong voice in the fight to get our colleges and universities back on track and clearly shares the values and the vision of the Texas Tech community.” view article

The law does not specifically ban the possession of THC vape pens, but those who sell them face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 penalty. view article

Paxton suggested students start with the Lord's Prayer, a prayer that is core to Christianity. view article

The Aledo Independent School District violated federal laws over special education in its dealing with more than a dozen students with disabilities, according to the Texas Education Agency, which regulates the state’s public schools. Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/crossroads/article311885126.html#storylink=cpy view article

The law took effect on September 1.  A coalition of left-wing groups and individuals has filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas over the implementation of the state-wide ban on DEI-related curriculum and gender ideology in K-12 schools.   The lawsuit was filed on August 28, just days before the law took effect on September 1. It was filed in a federal district court in Houston.  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas filed a lawsuit against Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath and the Independent School Districts of Houston, Katy, and Plano. view article

Conroe Independent School District is moving ahead with implementing a new state law requiring Ten Commandments displays in K-12 public classrooms, despite opposition from some parents and the absence of penalties for non-compliance. The law, known as SB10, mandates that all K-12 public classrooms display a 16-by-20 copy of the King James Bible version of the Ten Commandments. view article

A lawsuit trying to stop Austin's tax rate election heads to Texas Supreme Court    After Texas' Third Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Austin challenging the ballot language for its upcoming tax rate election, the lawsuit is headed to the Texas Supreme Court.  Former Austin mayoral candidate Jeff Bowen filed the lawsuit last month alleging the language intentionally misleads voters about the “permanence of the tax increase and does not describe specifically how the city council will use the more than $110 million in additional funds from the tax increase, if approved by voters.” view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton said the investigation is in response to community concerns.   This article has been updated since publication to include a statement from Plano ISD.    Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a formal investigation into Plano Independent School District after multiple reports of antisemitic incidents and school-sponsored activities perceived as anti-Israel.  view article

The Houston Federation of Teachers is seeking an injunction to prevent HISD from doling out state-funded raises based on performance rather than years of service. The relationship between the union and Superintendent Mike Miles has been fraught since the beginning of the state takeover. view article