The justices confirm that defendants need to be tried in the place the crime was committed. view article

A Lubbock judge blocked the NCAA from banning quarterback Brendan Sorsby despite an acknowledged gambling addiction. view article

It’s that time of year when weather conditions can be unpredictable. A small chance of rain can rapidly turn into lightning, high winds, and hail. When emergency repairs arise, it’s important for school districts to be able to respond quickly and legally. Let’s review the process for districts to utilize when responding to the need for emergency repairs and steps to take in preparation for when emergency repairs are required.

A former Randolph High School volleyball coach who was hired to lead Cedar Creek's volleyball program in Bastrop Independent School District will no longer join the district after her arrest on a felony charge alleging an improper relationship with a student. view article

Three Canutillo Independent School District educators were arrested for alleged "assaultive conduct and other inappropriate treatment" of several special education students, authorities said. view article

Midland ISD Police are searching for group of unidentified males who were caught on video entering two Midland high schools and taking items from various classrooms. The Midland Crime Stoppers posted details of the incident looking to the public for assistance in identifying the group of suspects. view article

A Dallas County state district court judge will hear arguments Tuesday afternoon on an effort by three City Council members to block a meeting that could advance plans to relocate City Hall.  The hearing before Judge Eric Moyé at 3 p.m. comes before a scheduled meeting for the council to consider proposals that would advance plans to relocate City Hall, redevelop the downtown property and continue exploring repairs to the aging building. view article

At a recent Big 12 administrative meeting, a fascinating discussion emerged.   If a local Texas judge granted quarterback Brendan Sorsby's injunction to play this season despite wagering on his own team, the league's other member schools wondered something aloud: Should we play the Red Raiders?    "We've had some serious conversation about it," Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor told Yahoo Sports. "There is still a lot to be discussed. We aren't scheduled to play them this year, but it's something we have to look at from a college football perspective. This is greater than the Big 12." view article

Mansfield ISD Board President Jandel Crutchfield is facing renewed scrutiny over her residency after tax records surfaced showing a Mansfield ISD property listed as nonhomestead while other records identify a residence outside the district as her primary homestead. view article

Goliad ISD, Refugio ISD and the Refugio Police Department issued statements Sunday following the arrest of Daniel San Miguel, a current Goliad ISD board trustee and former Refugio police officer who previously served as a school resource officer in Refugio ISD. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, San Miguel faces charges of aggravated assault of a child and official oppression. view article

Conroe ISD trustees will consider adopting a new code of conduct and operating policy this month that two members say gives the board president too much control. view article

According to the district, administrators received information on Thursday that alleged a teacher was having an inappropriate relationship with a student involving "grooming behavior" and possible physical contact. Broaddus ISD immediately notified the proper law enforcement authorities so they could investigate the allegations. The teacher is no longer employed by Broaddus ISD. view article

The former Wylie ISD assistant principal who was arrested for soliciting prostitution from a minor is now facing an additional charge, police announced on Friday. 32-year-old Zachary Neu was arrested on June 4 and charged with soliciting prostitution from a minor. Neu was an assistant principal at Wylie East High School prior to his arrest. view article

We are learning an arrest has been made in Goliad County involving Daniel San Miguel, a former officer with the Refugio Police Department. According to DPS, San Miguel faces charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and official oppression.

Hill County, which appears to be the first Texas county to pass a moratorium, replaced it Thursday with a checklist of requirements for developers. view article

Texas’ Supreme Court has been asked to consider compelling the Harris County Commissioners Court to declare a disputed commissioner’s seat vacant and order a special election to fill it.  The case concerns an ongoing dispute over whether Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia vacated his seat when he accepted an appointment to a second public office in 2023.  Richard Vega—Garcia’s Republican challenger for the Precinct 2 seat in November—recently filed for mandamus relief, asking the Court to force Harris County’s hand since it has refused to declare the seat vacant and call a special election. He argues the county is required to do so under the law. Vega is hoping for the opportunity to take office early in order to vote on a county budget and tax rate in mid-September. He is asking the court to rule before July 6 to accommodate time for the required election.  The Court has given Harris County until June 15 to respond. view article

The lawsuit targets statements the men made about the controversial housing development north of Houston. view article

Advocates want a federal appeals court to allow them to fight for the Texas Dream Act. The law giving eligible undocumented students in-state tuition at colleges was blocked last year.   Students, immigrant-rights advocates and Austin Community College asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday to let them defend the Texas Dream Act that has helped thousands of undocumented students afford college.  view article

Ever wondered how the regulations that impact public schools are made? Regulations are created by Texas state agencies under the requirements of The Texas Administrative Procedure Act. These types of laws were adopted across the country, beginning in the 1940s, to ensure fairness while bringing efficiency and accuracy into the states’ administrative processes.

Artificial intelligence (“AI”) use is on the rise in Texas schools. From lesson-planning platforms to student-facing chatbots, AI is reshaping how instruction happens. But as more people use AI, one question lingers: Who is responsible when mishaps occur? In Texas, AI creates legal complexities where education law already demands careful attention to student privacy, curriculum standards, and teacher certification. Because AI provides a new way to violate state and federal laws, even inadvertently, educators and administrators must be mindful when using AI to ensure that the law is still being followed.

As we all know by now, the 89th Legislative Session(s) brought numerous changes to the world of special education. In the midst of all of the high-profile special education legislation, one important change may have slipped through the cracks: House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 568 made changes to the requirements surrounding surveillance of special education settings.

You might have thought the latest Legislative session was a significant change to public education, and you are right. But the most significant change to public education in Texas came from the institution of Districts of Innovation (DOI). For years, public schools complained that they were being compared to charter schools and that was not an apples-to-apples comparison, but DOIs provide school districts the freedom to opt out of many of the laws and requirements with which charter schools are not saddled.

The 89th legislative session has produced a staggering number of changes to the landscape of Texas education. Perhaps one of the more jarring changes was the addition of chapter 26A to the Texas Education Code. This new chapter codifies the grievance provisions that school districts are required to implement in policy. Some of the requirements in the Chapter simply mirror the procedures already common amongst school districts, such as the use of a multi-tiered grievance appeal process. Others, however, depart from the usual grievance procedures or create new procedures entirely. This article will highlight some of the largest departures from past grievance procedures and discuss the implications of these changes for Texas school districts.

My favorite article that I have written over the years is one on official state holidays and recognitions. I find it fascinating to see which lobbyists succeed in recognitions for their cause. I look at this calendar and wonder why Monarch butterflies and veterinarian technicians get their own week, Lung Cancers Awareness gets only one day, Gold Star mothers get a day but not fathers, and there are no recognition days in December? Did you know that the 11 th day of each month is a recognition “day?”

In case you are running low on things to worry about this semester, never fear. This article is dedicated to the False Claims Act (FCA), another tool the federal government appears happy to point in the direction of public schools.

Governments rely on private contractors, or vendors. Many times, using a vendor is either more efficient, less expensive, or gives the government access to expertise that it does not have. Given the ubiquitous nature of contracts with the private sector, devoting some time and attention to your vendor contracts is important.

A Garland ISD employee is on administrative leave after allegedly taking photos of a female elementary school student while she was in the restroom. The incident reportedly took place during the week of March 29 at Abbett Elementary, according to an email sent to parents on Thursday, April 1. view article

Pursuant to subsection 38.001(f) of the Education Code, the Legislature provided that a student who has not received the immunizations required by law “for reasons of conscience, including because of the person’s religious beliefs, may be excluded from school in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the commissioner of public health.” Read in context, a court likely would conclude that this exception does not permit exclusion of students who lack vaccinations unrelated to an existing "epidemic" contemplated by subsection 38.001(f). view article

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On May 4, 2020, the Department of Education (“DOE”) issued new Title IX regulations, which direct how educational institutions receiving federal funds must address reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault involving both students and employees. view article

At SL&A, we offer a full array of legal services for our school law clients throughout Texas. We strive to deliver a high-level of client service through teamwork, calling upon our attorneys’ decades of public and private experience to provide practical solutions and advice for all school needs. view article

Officers with the Hudson ISD Police Department arrested a former math teacher for the school district on Monday in connection to allegations that he had an improper relationship with a high school student that included sexual contact. view article

On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) officially filed a grievance against the Wimberley Independent School District, according to our partners at the Austin-American Statesman. The grievance is the result of an email Superintendent Dwain York sent to some parents in December 2019 regarding the altering of the district's logo to include the colors of the gay pride flag, according to the Statesman. view article

A former student has filed a lawsuit against Dallas ISD after he lost his status as his high school’s salutatorian a day before graduation due to a last minute change in rankings. In June, the district apologized after class rankings at Woodrow Wilson High School were changed right before graduation because of a calculation error. Now a former student is suing Dallas ISD, claiming that the change will affect his applications to universities and employers. view article

Terry Burchett, 69, was arrested in South Carolina on February 18 on charges of child pornography. He was found to be in possession of over 9,800 sexually explicit images of children according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. view article