Two Del Mar College dual credit instructors are facing charges after being accused of assaulting and inappropriately touching students at Falfurrias High School. According to the Brooks County Sheriff's Office, Martin Fonseca surrendered on Wednesday. He's been charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury. His bond was set at $6,000. view article

The Supreme Court seems poised to strike down race-based redistricting as unconstitutional, or at least rein in the practice, court experts told The Epoch Times.  The outcome of the high-profile racial gerrymandering case of Louisiana v. Callais could have an impact on the balance of power in the federal legislative branch. Gerrymandering is the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a particular party or constituency.  Currently, Republicans maintain a razor-thin majority over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The congressional seat at the heart of the litigation is currently held by Rep. Cleo Fields (D-La.). view article

A judge granted a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on Tuesday to keep an 11-year-old off all Gonzales ISD campuses and away from school events. The child confessed to murdering a man he didn’t know in 2022, and the school argued having the child in the classroom would endanger others. view article

The State Department has revoked the visas of six foreigners after they publicly celebrated the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.  “The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans,” the State Department posted on X on Oct. 14. “The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.”  The names of those who lost their visas were withheld, but their redacted social media posts were published by the department. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday filed a lawsuit against the leader of a group of people who recently moved into a wealthy far West Texas county with the expressed intent to wrest political control from the current office holders.   Paxton also filed a request for a temporary restraining order against Malcolm Tanner for what the attorney general asserted were environment violations on the isolated plot of land in Loving County where members of his organization, the Melanated People of Power, have erected a small encampment of RVs and tents. view article

Tuesday morning, a local school district is heading to federal court in hopes of keeping an 11-year-old out of the classroom. The child confessed to murdering a man he didn’t know in 2022, and the school argues having the child in the classroom would endanger others. A judge will decide whether the boy should be banned from school property. Gonzales ISD is urgently requesting a temporary restraining order to keep the child off all campuses and away from school events. view article

The attorney general had previously announced an investigation to determine whether Discord is effectively safeguarding children onlin  The attorney general had previously announced an investigation to determine whether Discord is effectively safeguarding children online.  The move broadens Paxton’s ongoing probe under the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, which authorizes investigations into digital platforms accused of endangering minors.   Paxton said the expansion responds not only to Discord’s reported connection to the assassin but also to growing concerns that the platform exposes children to sexual exploitation and extremist content and contains addictive features designed to keep minors engaged. view article

The Celina Police Department today announced an update on the investigation of a Celina ISD teacher/coach who was first taken into custody on Friday, October 3, 2025. view article

An Anna ISD teacher is off the job and facing charges after an incident at school. The teacher was removed from her classroom at Hendricks Elementary School last week when the investigation began. view article

The attorney general has called the scheme “deceptive and unlawful.” view article

Ofelia Negrete-Arriaga worked as a custodian for Killeen ISD for close to 20 years. view article

EL PASO—Day nine of Texas’ redistricting trial saw prolonged and contentious questioning of the State’s expert witness, Dr. Sean Trende, despite a prior informal courtroom agreement to keep cross-examination brief. Following Trende’s questioning, both parties made final arguments.   At issue is Texas’ latest congressional map, which creates five new GOP-opportunity districts. The case will determine whether Texas’ new boundaries are used in the 2026 midterm election.    view article

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.

During the 89th Regular Legislative Session, HB 6 made a number of changes to Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code and the content of the 2025-2026 Student Code of Conduct. Many of these changes will likely be welcomed by Texas public schools, such as the ability to have more discretion in the determination of appropriate behavioral consequences for a student found in possession of a VAPE device.

If you’re one of the many Texas school districts operating under a District of Innovation (DOI) Plan, you’ve already embraced flexibility and local control. But with each legislative session, it becomes increasingly important to reevaluate whether your plan still fits within the legal boundaries.

During the 87th (2021) legislative session, the Legislature quietly expanded the authority of the Commissioner to investigate complaints against public schools and intervene beyond accreditation matters. These legislative revisions to Chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code (TEC) are resulting in a new wave of investigations into locally controlled policies and procedures like school district discipline procedures, bullying and harassment policies, and even student record keeping—previously considered the domain of local school officials and beyond the reach of officials in Austin. As a result, filing a complaint with TEA’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has become the weapon of choice for anyone disgruntled with the actions of a public school.

Congratulations on passing your bond. It’s time to get to work. Let’s, for just a few minutes, set aside the beautiful architectural renderings and the excitement of the benefits that your construction program will bring to you community, and talk about ways to minimize the risk inherent in such a large undertaking.

Receiving a subpoena to testify for the first time can be daunting for most educators and school administrators. Preparation will ensure your testimony is clear and accurate. Whether the case involves student welfare, special education disputes, personnel matters, or other legal issues, below are key steps for teachers and administrators to prepare to testify under subpoena:

Spring break is right around the corner! While schools welcome a much-needed break, they must also be ready to welcome possible new transfer students upon return. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) imposes certain requirements regarding the provision of special education services to students who transfer from one public agency to another. See 34 C.F.R. § 300.323(e)-(g). Within the past year, the Commissioner revised the administrative rules governing how Texas districts must respond when a special education student transfer into their district from another public school district (in-state or out-of-state). The following is a brief overview of those obligations for mid-year transfer students.

While “tangible” property has always been a consideration in school district management, the rise of the importance of “intellectual” property (IP) has introduced a new realm of assets that require thorough and thoughtful safekeeping. From educational material and district branding to the fast-developing sphere of artificial intelligence (AI) and name, image, and likeness (NIL), IP is now a major cornerstone of scholastic and operational success for most school districts.

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

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Irving ISD and the city of Irving by Ahmed Mohamed's family, according to Dallas Morning News. Ahmed made headlines when he was 14 years old and made a clock in school that was mistaken for a bomb in 2015. His family stated that his civil rights were violated when he was arrested at MacArthur High School and charged with making a "hoax bomb." The charge was later dropped, but he was still suspended. view article

A Lockhart High School science teacher has been arrested for having an improper relationship with a 17-year-old male student. Sarah Fowlkes started at the district in October 2014. On March 10, 2017 a school administrator reached out to Lockhart Police after receiving a "concerning report." LPD launched an investigation and determined Fowlkes was engaged in sexual contact with the student. view article

The plaintiffs continued building their case Tuesday in the instance of a student at Lewisville ISD who is suing the school for Title IX violations. The girl was 14 years old when she said she went to a high school party and got sexually assaulted by two high school football players at Hebron, a school in the Lewisville district. view article

When Deron Harrington filed a lawsuit on behalf of three parents in May 2015, he was trying to make sure the district where his kids attended school was following student truancy laws. He had a hunch that wasn't the case. At the time, Fort Bend ISD was making headlines for referring thousands of students to the county's specialized truancy court. Data showed a disproportionate number of the district's students referred to truancy court were African-American. As a lawyer, Harrington thought he could make a difference. view article

On March 11, 2016, the Texas Education Agency Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath, requested an opinion from the Texas Attorney General on the implementation of SB 507. This new law requires video surveillance of certain special education settings upon request beginning in the 2016-2017 school year. In an earlier blog post, I outlined the provisions of SB 507. view article

More than two months after a tornado hit Shields Elementary School in northern Ellis County on Dec. 26, Red Oak ISD confirmed Thursday that the original builder of the school, Ratcliff Constructors, has agreed to pay for the repairs. Fox 4's Lori Brown began investigating concerns about the quality of construction at the school  in Glenn Heights after an exterior wall collapsed in the tornado. view article