Texas school districts are authorized to provide public school transportation. For those that do, motor vehicle accidents are fertile ground for claims against school districts. School districts may benefit from taking the time to review their risk management approach to the provision of transportation services.

What outcome are school districts hoping for as a result of the lawsuit? That everything stays how it was, said Jo Beth Jimerson, a Texas Christian University education professor. I don’t really think anything changes, because they already know that the standards are eventually raising,” she said. “So, the schools already have targets and benchmarks they’ve been trying to reach.”  Cracks may show in the relationship between schools and the TEA if districts don’t win the lawsuit, Jimerson said.  “There has now been a seed of distrust sown,” Jimerson said. “You’re going to tell me what those rules are; OK, we now know what the higher standards are; are you gonna change those a year from now? Now we’d have a situation with Lucy and Charlie Brown … Lucy’s pulling the ball out.”Lower ratings are widely expected under the revised formulas.  view article

A-F grades are coming to Texas schools regardless of the outcome of a lawsuit, according to an education expert.  Some districts are suing the Texas Education Agency to stop it from issuing grades under the newly revised accountability system.  The TEA revised formulas and cutoffs for letter grades as part of an update to the accountability system as required by state law. A-F ratings were introduced in 2017, and this year marks the first update.  What outcome are school districts hoping for as a result of the lawsuit? That everything stays how it was, said Jo Beth Jimerson, a Texas Christian University education professor. “I don’t really think anything changes, because they already know that the standards are eventually raising,” she said. “So, the schools already have targets and benchmarks they’ve been trying to reach.”  Cracks may show in the relationship between schools and the TEA if districts don’t win the lawsuit, Jimerson said. view article

Kennedy Yanaros-Wilde held her father’s hand as she climbed up to her car seat. A strategic foot on the doorframe, a careful reach for an armrest, then a pull-up into the van. view article

The ACLU of Texas said Wednesday it found 51 school districts in violation of the Texas CROWN Act, which bans race-based hair discrimination, and urged them to update their dress code policies. The Texas CROWN Act prohibits schools, workplaces and housing authorities from discriminating against hairstyles historically associated with race such as dreadlocks, cornrows or afros. view article

A federal judge has granted Carroll Independent School District’s request for a preliminary injunction against the Biden administration’s Title IX rewrite.  view article

A Winnsboro family is suing the school district over what they say are ignored reports of verbal, physical sex-based and disability-based harassment of their child by two WISD students. According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, the case was brought because of “actions and omissions” of Winnsboro ISD and the board of trustees of WISD, who they say failed to comply with legal mandates under federal law when the family made complaints of serious verbal and physical sex-based and disability-based bullying, harassment, discrimination, stalking and retaliation committed toward their child by two students at WISD. The board members specifically mentioned in the lawsuit are Duncan McAdoo, Brandon Green, Stacy Brown, Jay Murdock, Kristie Amason, Billy Saucier, and Brian Busby. The principal involved is Jeff Akin. The superintendent named is Dave Wilcox. The Athletic Director, Josh Finney, is also mentioned in the suit. view article

Angleton ISD is accused of violating federal law in a suit filed in district court, official documents state. The lawsuit, brought by the Brewer Storefront law firm on behalf of plaintiff Laura Jaso and filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division, takes issue with Angleton ISD’s Board of Trustees election system. view article

An Anson ISD employee and sports photographer has been arrested on child pornography charges. Daril Gonzales, 55, was taken into custody Wednesday for Possession or Promotion of Lewd Visual Material Depicting a Child. A press release states Gonzales was initially contacted after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told police there had been lewd visual material of children on his devices. view article

The Argyle ISD Board of Trustees on Monday approved a resolution denouncing the United States Department of Education’s changes to Title IX over gender identity. Title IX states that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. In April, the Department of Education proposed redefining “sex” to include gender identity, which would allow biological males who identify as females to use the women’s restroom, and vice versa. view article

The school district and sheriff’s office in Uvalde must release their records and documents related to the Robb Elementary School shooting — including police body camera footage, 911 calls and communications, a Texas district court judge ruled last week. A group of news organizations including The Texas Tribune sued the city of Uvalde, the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District over access to the records after their open-records requests were repeatedly denied following the May 24, 2022 shooting. Lawyers representing the outlets on Monday announced the ruling from the 38th Judicial District Court of Uvalde County, touting it as a “victory for government transparency.” view article

Having spent 15 years working in education, Mrs. Borrink has had a wide range of experiences. At her first job, she taught 12 students in a third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade classroom at the Hillsdale Academy. Later, she taught elementary-level classes in a traditional Christian school, a classical Christian school, as well as a public charter school. She has also spent a few years at public schools, especially at the middle school level. After leaving the classroom setting, she had the opportunity to work from home part-time as a special projects coordinator for a charter school company. However, after 15 years of teaching, she left the profession when she began to feel it was no longer a good fit for her. view article

Carroll Independent School District (ISD) won a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the revised Title IX regulations issued by the Biden administration in April. The rules were set to go into effect on August 1. Federal Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas issued the preliminary injunction on Thursday, July 11, the same day the Amarillo federal court issued an injunction in the case brought by the State of Texas regarding Title IX. view article

Residents in Lorena came together to show their support for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Lorena ISD and their primary school principal. The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by the parents of a pre-k student after she was sexually abused by one of her teachers, Nicolas Crenshaw. view article

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in his ruling said the injunction covers Carroll ISD for now but requested briefings by July 18 about potentially broadening it. view article

The La Joya Independent School District Police Department arrested one of the district’s former flower vendors for theft this June over a month and a half after the district began investigating $25,250 unauthorized charges that vendor made on a district credit card. view article

Greenville ISD Police reportedly arrested Tekeysha Letoya McCloud, 44, a Houston woman suspected of being the shooter last Tuesday at a Greenville High School athletics facility. Greenville ISD said the shooter was the former spouse of a Greenville High School Coach. No one was hurt. view article

Carroll ISD’s attorneys argue the U.S. Department of Education would be improperly redefining the concept of a student’s biological sex to include gender ideology.   view article

The Save Austin Now PAC has launched a radio ad calling the 3rd Court of Appeals to issue a ruling on homeless encampments. The verdict has been delayed for more than 340 days. view article

President Joe Biden released a statement strongly opposing a measure that would require voters to provide proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. H.R. 8281, introduced by Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21), would require state election officials to inquire about proof of citizenship prior to administering voter registration forms. An individual would then have to show proof of U.S. citizenship in order to vote in federal elections. The measure, also known as the “Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act,” empowers state officials to accept a wide variety of documents with the aim of making it easier for citizens to register to vote. However, the Biden administration is poised to strike down the legislation if passed by Congress. view article

Lorena ISD parents are meeting with lawmakers to try and change laws when it comes to school administrators being immune from lawsuits in child abuse cases. 25 News spoke with one parent who told me he’s meeting with Senator Birdwell’s office soon. view article

The Greenville ISD Police Department is investigating a shooting that happened Tuesday afternoon outside of the Greenville High School Athletic Facility. According to police, around 1:33 p.m., an ex-spouse of a Greenville high school staff member and coach arrived at the facility and fired a single shot outside the Roy Q Traylor Athletic Facility. Police believe the ex-spouse was targeting the Greenville HS employee. view article

SOUTHLAKE — Attorneys representing Carroll ISD were in court Monday. They're suing over changes to Title IX, which will soon include protections for gender identity.   view article

Lawyers for a conservative legal group argued Monday in Fort Worth federal court that the Carroll Independent School District’s ability to protect its female students would suffer if new Title IX rules extending protections to transgender and nonbinary students are allowed to go into effect. The Southlake school district is suing the U.S. Department of Education to delay the implementation of the new rules, which are scheduled to go into effect Aug. 1. In a hearing Monday, lawyers for Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the district in the case, argued that, in enacting the rules, the department is improperly redefining the concept of a student’s sex to include their gender identity as well as sex assigned at birth. Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article289855949.html#storylink=cpy view article

A federal courtroom in Downtown Fort Worth is the venue for the latest legal maneuvers involving Carroll ISD. The school district known for high athletic achievements argued its case in what is believed to be the first lawsuit in the country suing the Biden administration over looming Title IX changes, which are set to extend protections for LGBTQ students. view article

The event celebrating sexual identities was held on city property and included paying an LGBT group for a musical performance.  view article

Fort Bend ISD is under investigation for electioneering and for allegedly violating the Texas Open Meetings Act, according to a statement from the district. The statement issued last week said that FBISD is being investigated by the Texas Education Agency after allegations that the district incentivized staff to vote in last year’s tax rate election. This goes with another TEA investigation into the Texas Open Meetings Act. view article

The Mercedes school board voted to fire its superintendent in May without saying why, and that process doesn’t appear to be going smoothly. In April, the Mercedes ISD board voted to place Superintendent Maria J. Chavez on administrative leave with pay. Trustees appointed an acting superintendent and, late in May, voted to fire Chavez “for good cause.” view article

These days, fireworks have all kinds of names: Ghost Dragons, Bombers, Boomers, and while they may look pretty shooting up into the air, they’re just as dangerous as they sound. view article

A former Kilgore ISD teacher was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having an improper relationship with a student. Phillip Daniel Nix, 38, of Seymour, pleaded guilty on Monday to an improper relationship between a student and an educator in connection and then sentenced to 10 years. According to officials, Nix was arrested in 2022 following an investigation led by Kilgore Police officers and the Kilgore ISD administrators regarding information about a March 1, 2021, incident. view article

Lorena Independent School District principal who is at the center of a lawsuit is now being investigated by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). April Jewell is the principal of Lorena Primary School, which serves around 400 students pre-kindergarten through second grade. She is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the parents of a pre-k student who was sexually abused by substitute Nicholas Crenshaw at Lorena Primary School. view article

Katy ISD's controversial new gender policy requires parents to be notified if students identify themselves as transgender, and it's impact is becoming clearer. Kade Carter is a lot of things: a gamer, a musician, and a son. But, the 17-year-old, who has won awards for his poetry and artwork, is a high school dropout. view article

A former employee of Valentine Independent School District has been charged with criminal offenses for allegedly stealing school district funds for his personal use. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas says that Ernesto Villarreal, 42, from Marfa, is accused of using school district-issued credit cards for personal expenses. view article

Carroll ISD board President Cam Bryan updated district residents on the status of the district’s Title IX lawsuit during the board’s regular meeting June 24. During his remarks, Bryan reminded district residents the new Title IX rules being implemented by the Biden Administration will go into effect on Aug. 1 in Texas. He added that courts in Kentucky and Louisiana have stopped the implementation of the new rules in their respective states. view article

The U.S. Attorney's Office has arrested a former Valentine Independent School District employee who was arrested on criminal charges related to an alleged scheme to fraudulently misappropriate school district funds for personal expenses. view article