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

A family of a Lockhart ISD student is suing the district after their child was allegedly sexually assaulted by a former volleyball coach, according to court documents obtained by KVUE. The lawsuit claims the district failed to protect the student in connection to sexual assault by former volleyball coach Aaron Aguilar and did not provide a safe learning environment during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. view article

A Waco High School campus aide was arrested Tuesday on felony grooming charges after school officials learned of his inappropriate messages to a 16-year-old female student. Jody Deshawn Edwards, 34, remains in the McLennan County Jail under $10,000 bond and faces up to 10 years in prison after his arrest on the third-degree felony charge. view article

PFLAG refuses to produce documents for Attorney General Ken Paxton.  An LGBT organization is fighting a demand to produce records regarding illegal gender mutilation procedures on minors and has taken the Texas attorney general to court. After more than a year of litigation filled with delays, a trial court ordered sweeping injunctions against the attorney general in favor of PFLAG.  The Supreme Court of Texas is set to hear this case in October, which may determine the future of the attorney general’s investigative powers. view article

Despite a federal judge’s court order halting display of the Ten Commandments in 11 districts, the rest of the state is still required to follow the new law. view article

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District said it will not display the Ten Commandments, at least temporarily, after a preliminary injunction was filed by a district judge last week, according to a statement provided by the district to KXAN. view article

An Arp ISD elementary assistant principal and her son were arrested Monday following an investigation by the Arp Police Department. Police said Karla Florence was taken into custody and charged with failure to report and false report to a peace officer. Investigators say she failed to provide truthful information and did not meet her legal duty under Texas law to report knowledge of a felony offense while serving in her role as an educator. view article

Yesterday, a federal judge in San Antonio issued an injunction against the implementation of Senate Bill 10 in select Texas school districts. SB 10 is Texas’s Ten Commandments law, which requires a 16”x20” copy of the religious doctrine to be displayed in every public school classroom in the state. In the ruling, the judge notes that SB 10 “impermissibly takes sides” on religious questions, is “by design, and on its face,” not neutral with respect to religion, and “crosses the line from exposure to coercion.” view article

A Marfa ISD teacher was arrested Aug. 21 on a felony charge of having an improper relationship with a student. According to the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office, 25-year-old Rebecca Ontiveros, was taken into custody at Marfa ISD by the Texas Rangers. She was booked into the Presidio County Jail and released the following day after posting a $75,000 surety bond. Ontiveros was charged with improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony. view article

Maribel Gardea, a local advocate, was arrested at an Edgewood Independent School District board meeting last week but has since had all charges dropped. Gardea was taken into custody after speaking past her allotted time at the podium during a meeting where she was advocating for transparency, safety, and accountability from the district. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton issued the following statement directing all Texas Independent School Districts (ISDs) not enjoined by ongoing litigation to display copies of the Ten Commandments once Senate Bill 10 takes effect on September 1, 2025. “From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Schools not enjoined by ongoing litigation must abide by S.B. 10 and display the Ten Commandments. The woke radicals seeking to erase our nation’s history will be defeated. I will not back down from defending the virtues and values that built this country.”  view article

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A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked 11 public school districts in Texas’ largest metropolitan areas from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms as required by a new state law set to take effect Sept. 1.  Two days after the conclusion of a court hearing in San Antonio, U.S. Judge Fred Biery ruled that Senate Bill 10 "likely violates both the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution.  view article

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked 11 public school districts in Texas’ largest metropolitan areas from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms as required by a new state law set to take effect Sept. 1. Two days after the conclusion of a court hearing in San Antonio, U.S. Judge Fred Biery ruled that Senate Bill 10 "likely violates both the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution. He added that "even though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer." view article

A routine school board meeting in Edgewood turned into a tense confrontation Tuesday night when a mother of two was handcuffed and escorted out of the district conference center after exceeding her speaking time. Maribel Gardea, 42, was addressing the board on student safety when her microphone was cut. The Edgewood ISD board president had announced at the start of the meeting that with 11 people signed up for public comment, each speaker would have two minutes. view article

Video shows the moment Edgewood Independent School District police officers removed a San Antonio woman from a school board meeting Tuesday night in handcuffs. Maribel Gardea was arrested on three charges: criminal trespass, resisting arrest and disrupting a meeting. Now, the nonprofit she represents is calling for action from the Edgewood ISD Board of Trustees. view article

A North Texas high school football player died Wednesday morning after suffering a "medical emergency" at practice two days prior, Lancaster Independent School District officials said. The player, 15-year-old Preston Malone, was a sophomore student at Lancaster Early College High School, according to officials. view article

The Independence School District announced that one of its employees has been placed on administrative leave pending a criminal investigation. ISD did not specify who the employee is or what role they serve in the district. Specific allegations are not known at this time, but the district said it takes the charges seriously and is working with law enforcement. view article

A woman who was escorted out of an Edgewood Independent School District board meeting is facing three charges related to trespassing and disrupting a meeting, records with the Bexar County jail show. Maribel Gardea, 42, was taken out of the meeting in handcuffs on Tuesday evening after speaking past her allotted time during public comments, according to footage from the meeting posted on the district’s YouTube channel. view article

The two-year legal battle over a Barbers Hill ISD student's hair is now over. On July 24, a federal judge dismissed the case, ruling in favor of the district. The case is now closed permanently, preventing Darryl George from filing the same lawsuit in the future. Barbers Hill ISD said the length of George's hair violated the dress code. view article

A civil lawsuit filed in 2023 against Lorena ISD and Lorena Primary School Principal April Jewell will proceed after a federal appeals court rejected efforts to dismiss the case. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday denied a motion to give Jewell and the district qualified immunity — a legal shield that often protects officials from liability in federal civil actions. The unanimous ruling paves the way for the lawsuit to move into the discovery phase. view article

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: