A high school student from Pflugerville was arrested after police said he brought a sword to campus. According to Pflugerville ISD police, on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 17-year-old Trinceton Arnold was arrested and is now charged with a felony for bringing a sword to Connally High School. view article

A Wharton ISD support staff member was terminated after the district was made aware of an inappropriate relationship with a student, officials say. According to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael O’Guin Sr., the district was made aware of an inappropriate relationship last week, and the support staff member was immediately suspended. That person has since been terminated. view article

The State Bar of Texas has fined and suspended Starr County’s district attorney for pursuing a murder indictment against 26-year-old woman after she self-managed an abortion.  Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez reached a settlement with the State Bar of Texas following an investigation. Ramirez agreed to pay a $1,250 fine, and his license will be held in a probated suspension for one year, ending on March 31, 2025. News of the January settlement was first reported by multiple outlets on Thursday.  The State Bar of Texas confirmed the settlement to The Texas Tribune on Friday and that it involved the case of a 26-year-old Texas woman who was arrested nearly two years ago and charged with murder in “the death of an individual by self-induced abortion.” view article

Judges have granted restraining orders or injunctions in the past week against two of the six school districts Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued over claims that they're illegally using public money to advocate for candidates or policies in the Texas primary elections. The accusations come after last year's state legislative session left many school districts financially frustrated as lawmakers didn't pass meaningful increases to public education spending with Texas schools facing the lowest inflation-adjusted state and local funding since 2020, according to an American-Statesman analysis.  The Texas House also rejected school choice proposals that would have used public money to pay for private education, which were championed by Gov. Greg Abbott, leaving Republican members who voted against the governor's legislative priority vulnerable to his wrath and campaign war chest at the ballot box.  A 429th District Court judge in Collin County granted a restraining order against the Frisco school district and a judge in the 17th District Court in Tarrant County granted an injunction against the Castleberry school district, Paxton announced Thursday night. view article

The State Board of Education is proposing amendments to 19 Tex. Admin. Code Ch. 74, as well as revamping and rewriting the Dyslexia Handbook, proposed to be called the “Texas Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Handbook.”

A group of parents has filed a federal lawsuit against the Marlin Independent School District, Superintendent, Dr. Daryll Henson, and district police chief John Simmons alleging a violation of their First Amendment right to petition and free speech. A week before they graduated in the summer of 2023, the Marlin ISD Class of 2023 was notified that only five out of 33 seniors were eligible to graduate after grades had been altered due to incomplete courses, which lowered student grades significantly. view article

This follows Paxton’s lawsuit against Frisco Independent School District yesterday.  Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued both Denison and Castleberry Independent School Districts today for using official resources for illegal electioneering purposes.  The lawsuit against Denison ISD points to a February 2024 post on Denison ISD’s website that appears to celebrate lawmakers who voted against school choice and encourage citizens to vote for them.  The post also links to Denison ISD’s Teacher Pay Resolution, which states in part that “the Board of Trustees of the Denison Independent School District will continue to publicly oppose voucher programs by any name, including ‘taxpayer education savings accounts,’ that threaten to reduce public school funding and necessary support of our local schools.”  The resolution continues further, stating that the Denison ISD Board of Trustees will continue to use its influence to oppose school vouchers—prompting the lawsuit to concisely conclude that “The resolution electioneers against school vouchers.” view article

A U.S. District Court Judge has ordered a preliminary injunction, blocking Texas from enforcing its new border security measure allowing state judges to order illegal aliens to return to their country of origin. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Denison ISD, accusing the district of illegal electioneering. Attorney General Paxton referenced a section of Denison ISD’s website where the district advocated against school vouchers, and included a section that showed support for the re-election of Representative Reggie Smith, referencing his opposition to school vouchers. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing two more North Texas school districts for alleged electioneering related to school vouchers. In two separate lawsuits, Paxton requests a restraining order and temporary and permanent injunctions against Denison ISD and Castleberry ISD. He has filed similar suits against Frisco ISD and Denton ISD. view article

Edinburg CISD filed a lawsuit against a dozen of its insurance companies in response to unpaid claims stemming from Hurricane Hanna, according to a news release. According to a Thursday news release, the district has faced “significant challenges” in obtaining funds for repairs from their insurance company ever since Hurricane Hanna made landfall in July 2020. District spokeswoman Lisa Ayala confirmed in an email a dozen insurance companies were named in the lawsuit. “This impasse has led the district to legal avenues to ensure taxpayers are not left to cover repair expenses,” the news release stated. Details on how much money the unresolved claim was worth were not immediately available. view article

A text thread is the latest in a series of events suggesting election coordination with government schools. North Texas State Rep. Glenn Rogers of Graford has been promoting his anti-school choice stance to government school administrators, who in turn are pushing his stance on faculty and staff. Through an open records request to the Breckenridge Independent School District, Texas Scorecard obtained a January 6 text message Rogers sent to 14 people. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Frisco ISD, accusing the school district of illegal electioneering. Paxton accuses Frisco ISD of repeatedly pushing for certain policies and political measures. view article

A former Sidney ISD coach accused of engaging in inappropriate conduct with a student has been arrested. Ryan Matthew Grant was taken into custody Sunday for Aggravated Sexual Assault in connection to these allegations. Sidney ISD Superintendent James Rucker says the district received allegations that Grant had been inappropriate with a student February 10, and they immediately contacted the Texas Rangers, suspended Grant’s employment, and had him criminally trespassed from Sidney ISD property and all school events. view article

A former band teacher in the Judson Independent School District was sentenced to 131 years in prison after being found guilty of 20 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of possession with intent to promote child pornography. view article

UVALDE – Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steve McCraw testified before a Uvalde grand jury Wednesday that was seated to possibly bring charges against law enforcement officers for the flawed police response to the 2022 shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers. McCraw’s appearance before the grand jury signals the range of witnesses from whom the grand jury may seek testimony, including both rank-and-file officers and law enforcement agency leaders. It also indicates that grand jurors want to hear from those participants directly so they can question them. McCraw arrived at Garner Field, the local Uvalde airport, around 9 a.m. Wednesday on a state plane before being driven to the Uvalde County Fairplex, where the grand jury is meeting. He made no public comments. view article

The Texas attorney general sued the school district for using official resources to push citizens to vote for “pro-public education” candidates.  Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against Frisco Independent School District today for repeatedly using official resources for illegal electioneering purposes.  The lawsuit lists three Facebook posts made by the Frisco ISD Government Affairs Facebook page where individuals were encouraged to “vote for candidates who support public schools and, apparently, who are against vouchers.”  “The posts also appear to influence the reader to vote in a particular party primary,” according to the lawsuit.   The first post, released on Feb. 20, alludes to the fact that candidates will decide whether or not public schools receive appropriate funding, so people should make their voices heard and get out to vote.  view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Frisco Independent School District on Wednesday, alleging illegal electioneering by using official resources to urge people to vote in favor of a certain policy. The lawsuit claims Frisco ISD's Government Affairs department repeatedly used official resources to stump for certain policies and political measures, using Facebook posts as examples. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration over a pregnant worker protection law that he said was unconstitutional because it passed mostly by proxy vote.   view article

A federal jury found a former investigator with the Waller County District Attorney’s office guilty of money laundering and attempted possession with intent to distribute heroin, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced Tuesday. Alex Kassem transported heroin and cartel money in his marked police vehicle, between San Antonio, Houston and Louisiana, according to the release. He was paid $31,000 for transporting the drugs, which he hid in evidence bags, while wearing his Waller County peace officer credentials and a county-issued firearm. “Alex Kassem was a criminal in disguise. He cloaked himself in his trusted position as a licensed peace officer and Waller County DA investigator while working to enrich himself by shamelessly moving money and drugs in his work vehicle and hidden in his police vest,” Douglas Williams, the special agent in charge of the FBI Houston Field Office, said in a statement. view article

A former Judson ISD band director was found guilty Tuesday on 20 counts of possession of child pornography and promotion of child pornography. Mark Mallow could face a maximum punishment of life in prison. The punishment phase of his trial began Tuesday afternoon. view article

An employee with Point Isabel Independent School District was arrested for allegedly sending harmful material to minor, police say. Omar Vera was arrested on five counts of distribution of harmful material to a minor, Port Isabel police confirmed. Vera was employed as a paraprofessional at Point Isabel High School. He has since been terminated. view article

El Paso leaders on Friday denounced Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s threat to shut down Annunciation House, a network of migrant shelters that has been in operation for almost 50 years.  “An attack on one is an attack on all,” U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, said during a news conference at the shelter’s office, which was packed with supporters.  Annunciation House operates several shelters in El Paso, helping immigrants and refugees who are experiencing homelessness with various needs, including food and housing, and providing information on how to complete legal documents to claim asylum in the United States. view article

In 2021, Texas passed a law restricting large social media companies from banning political posts or users. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a legal challenge to the state law.  For nearly four hours on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a pair of cases that challenge how far states can go to limit the content social media companies allow on their platforms. The lawsuits, which were brought by two tech trade groups, challenge whether Texas and Florida can legally prohibit large social media companies from banning certain political posts or users. Both states passed laws in 2021 to stop what Republican state leaders considered “censorship” of conservative viewpoints. view article

For nearly four hours on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a pair of cases that challenge how far states can go to limit the content social media companies allow on their platforms.  The lawsuits, which were brought by two tech trade groups, challenge whether Texas and Florida can legally prohibit large social media companies from banning certain political posts or users. Both states passed laws in 2021 to stop what Republican state leaders considered “censorship” of conservative viewpoints.  The laws came on the heels of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which led Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to suspend former president Donald Trump’s social media accounts because his posts were thought to glorify violence. view article

Speaking to a group of East Texas voters in September, state Supreme Court Justice John Devine cast himself as the antidote to his “brainwashed” colleagues on the all-Republican bench. Their “Big Law” backgrounds, he said, had taught them to worry more about legal procedures — “standing, timeliness, or whatever else” — than their duty to uphold the Constitution. “At times I feel like they would sacrifice the Republic for the sake of the process,” Devine said in the speech, a recording of which was obtained by The Texas Tribune. “My concern is that they all bow down to the altar of process rather than to fidelity to the Constitution. And when I say that, it’s not meant to be malice towards my colleagues. I think it’s how they were trained — how they were brainwashed.” view article

The two principals encouraged colleagues to vote for candidates who oppose school vouchers.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the Denton Independent School District, alleging that two elementary school principals violated state law by encouraging their staffs to vote against opponents of school vouchers in the primary election.  On Feb. 5, Lindsay Lujan, Denton ISD’s director of special programs and principal of Alexander Elementary School, sent an email from her school address urging staff to vote in the upcoming Republican primary. Including a quote from a Texas superintendent warning that “if Texas educators do not come together and vote on a candidate that will support public schools, [they] are in trouble,” Lujan urged staff to do “[their] part.” She included a link to a list of candidates organized by whether they support or oppose public school education. view article

In 2021, Texas passed a law restricting large social media companies from banning political posts or users. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a legal challenge to the state law.  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will consider whether the First Amendment’s freedom of speech clause applies to social media companies’ content moderation. Their decision could render a Texas law unconstitutional.  The lawsuit challenges whether Texas and Florida can legally prohibit large social media companies from banning certain political posts or users. Both states passed laws in 2021 to stop what Republican state leaders considered “censorship” of conservative viewpoints.  The laws came on the heels of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which led Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to suspend former president Donald Trump’s social media accounts because his posts were thought to glorify violence. view article

In 2021, Texas passed a law restricting large social media companies from banning political posts or users. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a legal challenge to the state law.  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will consider whether the First Amendment’s freedom of speech clause applies to social media companies’ content moderation. Their decision could render a Texas law unconstitutional.  The lawsuit challenges whether Texas and Florida can legally prohibit large social media companies from banning certain political posts or users. Both states passed laws in 2021 to stop what Republican state leaders considered “censorship” of conservative viewpoints.  The laws came on the heels of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which led Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to suspend former president Donald Trump’s social media accounts because his posts were thought to glorify violence. view article

A former University of Texas exchange student is suing Sigma Alpha Epsilon Texas Rho Chapter for more than $1 million for injuries he sustained from an assault by fraternity members at a party last year, according to the lawsuit. The suit, which was filed last month and first reported by The Daily Texan, alleges that the defendants "breached the duty of reasonable care" by not monitoring alcohol consumption and neglecting to monitor the party, maintain security or intervene in the attack. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon Texas Rho Chapter House Corp., the chapter's adviser and president are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. view article

After a short trial, a Texas judge ruled that Barbers Hill school officials are not violating a new state law prohibiting hair discrimination.  ANAHUAC — A Texas judge on Thursday said the Barbers Hill Independent School District can punish a Black student who wears his hair in long locs without violating Texas’ new CROWN Act, which is meant to prevent hairstyle discrimination in schools and workplaces.  The decision came after a monthslong dispute between the district and Darryl George, a junior at Barbers Hill High School who has been sent to in-school suspension since August for wearing his hair in long locs. Legislators last year passed a law called the Texas CROWN Act that prohibits discrimination on the basis of hair texture or protective styles associated with race. Protective styles include locs, braids and twists.  But the Barbers Hill school district successfully argued it can still enforce its policy that prohibits males from wearing hair that extends beyond eyebrows, earlobes or collars even if it’s gathered on top of the student’s head. view article

A Denton Independent School District administrator emailed employees encouraging them to vote in the Republican primary election, decrying school choice and making other politically charged allegations. Sydnie Henry has the details. Lindsay Lujan, the district’s Director of Special Programs, told employees in an "all staff" message that the school "will provide coverage for ALL" staff who "go and vote in the Texas Republican Primary view article

BEAUMONT, Texas — A judge has ruled against the appeal of the Beaumont Independent School District first brought forward in 2022. Layoffs are not expected following the loss of the appeal. This decision comes after a nearly year-long dispute with the Texas Comptroller's Office. A State Office Administrative Hearings (SOAH) judge made the ruling against the appeal. BISD found out about the ruling February 19, 2024, according to a BISD news release. view article

A trial over the Barbers Hill school district’s dress code will test Texas’ new CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles.  At 18, Darryl George has spent most of his junior year at Barbers Hill High School separated from his classmates, sentenced to a mix of in-school suspension or class at an alternative education campus. He’s allegedly denied hot food and isn’t able to access teaching materials.  His offense: wearing his hair in long locs.  Since the start of the school year, George and Barbers Hill school officials have been locked in a standoff over his hairstyle — and whether the district’s dress code violates a new state law that prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles.  George, who is Black, says in legal filings that the district’s monthslong punishment has demeaned him and impeded his education.  The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. view article

Keller ISD Superintendent Tracy Johnson asked Fort Worth city leaders at a Wednesday night public hearing at Basswood Elementary to stop the construction of a motel that is planned next to the school. nlopez@star-telegram.com view article