Eight hours into a Saturday workshop, Fort Worth ISD’s Texas-appointed board members arrived at the question they had heard from parents for weeks: Would they rein in scripted lessons?  The answer shapes the rules that the board of managers will use to hold Superintendent Peter Licata accountable. Managers are drafting superintendent guardrails and FWISD goals based on feedback from parents, students and other district residents. They will finalize the goals and limits at their Nov. 10 meeting.  The community comments led managers to draft a rule requiring the superintendent to seek teacher feedback on scripted lessons and other classroom changes.  Licata objected. He said the complaints came mostly from one of the district’s high school feeder patterns. He pointed to indicators from a test administered early in the year as a sign his instructional overhaul is working. view article

The Central Texas school district’s new initiative aims to promote healthier habits and hands-on learning while reducing students’ reliance on classroom technology.   The Lockhart Independent School District is reducing classroom screen time and expanding opportunities for play and hands-on learning as part of a new districtwide initiative for the 2026-27 school year.  Approved by the district’s Board of Trustees in June, the “Childhood Unlocked” initiative will reduce elementary students’ screen time during the school day by 50 percent while increasing free play and recess by the same amount.   Secondary students will also have more opportunities for free play, and classroom device use will be limited to no more than half of each class period.  To implement the changes, the district is expanding recess for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade, including additional opportunities in the morning and afternoon. Students in sixth through eighth grade will have designated free-play time before school and during lunch.   Teachers are also receiving training on using technology intentionally, with an emphasis on hands-on activities and traditional instructional methods rather than replacing them with digital tools. view article

Montague ISD is mourning the loss of a student, the district said in a statement. The district said it is reaching out with "profound sadness" to announce a "heartbreaking loss within our school community," in a Facebook post Sunday. It's not clear exactly what circumstances the district is referring to, but the district goes on to offer condolences to "the student's family, friends, and loved ones." view article

A mother and her 5-year-old daughter were killed in a crash in Archer County on Friday. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Sarah Kelley, 42, and her five-year-old daughter crashed on Highway 25 near the U.S. 281 intersection on Friday. The crash happened in the neighboring county just west of Bowie. It’s not clear how exactly she crashed. Bowie ISD confirmed the little girl was one of their kindergarten students at Bowie Elementary School. view article

School tax and trustee elections will take up a lot of space on the Nov. 3 election ballot for many voters in Bexar County, alongside buzzy governor and senate races and hot midterm elections.  All San Antonio voters can weigh in on whether to reauthorize PreK 4 SA, an early childhood program funded through a voter-approved 1/8-cent sales tax for another 20 years.Plus, seven area-districts in total will put an item before voters.  Voters in Edgewood ISD, located in the heart of San Antonio’s West Side, and voters in Somerset ISD, located on the far Southwest corner of Bexar County, get to weigh in on school board elections. Both districts had four seats up for election this November. All Edgewood races are contested, while candidates in two Somerset races are running unopposed. Elections in five other area-districts will be money-centric.  view article

GRAPEVINE — Jill Tate has spent 30 years building and maintaining the Republican majority in Texas.  In all that time, she’s never been more worried about an election.  “This is truly the first time I’ve felt in my bones we could lose the Texas House, and we could lose a statewide seat,” Tate said. “And that’s very scary.” view article

McALLEN — A federal judge ruled against environmental and wildlife conservation groups trying to prevent a land exchange between SpaceX and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in South Texas.  U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. denied a request for a preliminary injunction filed by the conservation groups to prevent U.S. Fish and Wildlife from exchanging 715 acres of land in a wildlife refuge for 683 acres of private land that is adjacent to another refuge  The government and SpaceX executed the land swap agreement on Sept. 1 and expect to transfer the title on Sept. 22.   The conservation groups — the Center for Biological Diversity, Save RGV, the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, and the South Texas Environmental Justice Network — filed a lawsuit in June to stop the deal from going forward, alleging that SpaceX’s presence in the area had begun degrading the land through rocket test launches that send debris onto refuge lands. view article

As millions of people face heat advisories warning of dangerous temperatures across the South on Monday, frost advisories were issued in five states, serving as a reminder that the first hard freeze of the season could hit as soon as this month for some, even as oppressive temperatures remain a reality for the foreseeable future for others.  More advisories were issued by two additional states on Tuesday night. view article

President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025 with a signature promise: the largest mass deportation effort by the federal government in U.S. history.  He said his administration would target the “worst of the worst,” hunting down and deporting immigrants with violent criminal histories.   But in reality, according to federal government data, under Trump, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officers — often aided by local police — have mostly arrested people with no criminal convictions.  The Texas Tribune interviewed five Texas immigrants — from Mexico, China, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela — who shared their experiences of being arrested by ICE and living in detention centers across the state. view article

Classes at Hallsville ISD are canceled Monday due to a city water line leak affecting supply; the district is monitoring repairs for updates on Tuesday. view article

The Nimitz High School band will stop wearing this year’s marching season T-shirts after activists, parents and students complained about offensive imagery, Aldine ISD officials said Friday. view article

Marshall ISD announced in a Facebook post that a student at Price T. Young Elementary has died following a recent automobile accident. The post was made by the district on Saturday, September 19. view article

Colorado Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Larry Polk has been selected to serve as one of 12 members of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching’s (NIET) Educator Advisory Board. According to NIET, the Educator Advisory Board brings together education leaders who are driving change in education and provides their insight to help strengthen innovation, improve school systems and support student outcomes. view article

Pflugerville ISD is entering the final year of construction on its Advanced Pathways for Excellence Center, ahead of its August 2027 opening. Trustees appointed PfISD principal and educator Daniel Garcia to be the career and technical education center’s founding principal. Garcia said in an email the facility aims to be a launchpad for success into college, the workforce or the military. view article

Dallas ISD high school students interested in automotive careers will gain hands-on experience alongside industry professionals through a new partnership with Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Dallas ISD and DART announce the High School Student Bus Maintenance Externship Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative connecting students in the district’s Automotive Technician Program of Study with bus maintenance professionals. view article

The Amarillo ISD Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Monday. Board President Jon Mark Beilue said he’d seen a social media post criticizing an agenda item—possible revisions of the naming rights policies and procedures for facilities, including Dick Bivins Stadium—which garnered dozens of comments, plus hundreds of likes in favor of a potential name change. view article

The North East Independent School District has identified 16 schools that meet the district’s criteria for possible closure. All 16 are elementary schools, ranging from Redland Oaks south of Loop 1604 to Oak Meadow north of Hardberger Park. view article

Superintendent Doug Killian and Chief of Staff Brandy Baker are slated to present updates from across the district, per a social media announcement. CFISD Community Connect is intended to inform parents, community members, business partners and taxpayers, as well as provide opportunities to engage with CFISD. According to the website, during each session, attendees hear from district leaders and community experts regarding topics including: view article

Muhammad Abdullah watched Sept. 11 unfold from a high school classroom in Atlanta. A teacher wheeled in a television set, and the class of sophomores sat stunned, trying to make sense of what was happening.   Buc-ee’s first filed a complaint against Born United in May 2025, alleging “slavish copying” of Buc-ee’s trademarks despite a cease and desist letter asking Born United to stop selling the merchandise. view article

The State Board of Education gave final approval to changes to Texas' high school social studies curriculum. The changes involve how students will learn about Islam and Christianity. The revised social studies curriculum covers U.S. history, government and world geography. view article

As the K-12 education landscape continues to shift and change, the focus on attracting and retaining the right people to lead and shape our area's school districts through crucial changes continues to grow. There are more than 1,200 superintendents in Texas who lead either traditional public-school systems or public charter school systems, and according to the latest data from the Texas Education Agency, districts are paying salaries and total compensation packages to their top leaders that rival those of leading executives at many large corporations. view article

September is Deaf Awareness Month and starting just a few months ago, Texas residents can now get their identification cards or driver license with a new deaf or hard of hearing designation. The new option aims to improve communication between law enforcement, first responders or hospital staff and Texans who are deaf or are hard of hearing and started when McAllen ISD’s Liza Lara, director for the Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD), brought up that there was nothing on state ID’s or driver licenses that indicate someone is deaf or hard of hearing at a conference with first responders. view article

The education system has a responsibility to cater to the needs of every student, and students with special needs require special attention. That’s where the Texas Education Agency (TEA) District SPED Leadership Council comes in. The council is responsible for providing early insight on emerging TEA priorities and policies. Moving forward, Angela Solis of the Temple Independent School District will be a member of the council, according to a news release from the district. view article

Priscilla Dilley always had an idea that she’d go into education, even if her career path led in a different direction. Dilley, who now serves as Arlington ISD’s chief academic officer, was born in Brazil and moved to the United States when she was 11. She couldn’t speak a word of English and was brought into classrooms initially with little to no support. view article

A longtime Plano ISD football tradition is looking different this season, and some band parents say the changes are leaving students disappointed. For years, Plano ISD junior varsity and ninth- and 10th-grade bands and drill teams have performed during halftime of non-varsity football games. view article

Austin Ed Fund’s Inspire the Future program granted $350,000 to be used for Austin ISD teacher-led projects on Wednesday. Austin Ed Fund, Austin ISD’s nonprofit public education foundation, said in a press release that their Inspire the Future grant program awarded individual classrooms, campuses, and teams on various projects that leave classroom and community impact. view article

Through friendly competition, Tyler High and Tyler Legacy students collected 20,000 pounds of food and $17,906 for the East Texas Food Bank as a part of the 36th Annual Pantry Raid initiative. The results were revealed at the Tyler ISD Rose City Rivalry football game Friday night. Students from both campuses worked over the past few weeks to collect food and money to benefit the East Texas Food Bank, including its programs like the Backpack Program. view article

Previous plans outlined 7,300 residences and hundreds of acres of commercial space.  The Kyle City Council voted to approve a settlement agreement that will put an end to a six-year-long lawsuit filed in 2020 by Austin's Save Our Springs Alliance (SOSA) over the development of the Nance-Bradshaw Ranch property located in the Austin-San Antonio corridor. The city council voted to remove the Blanco River bridge, a major point of environmental arguments against the development. The bridge's removal has paved the way for resolution, clearing a major hurdle for the massive development plan.  view article

In the 2024-25 school year, the most recent year data was available, 86% of NCISD’s high school students took CTE classes while the state average was 74%, according to the TEA. CTE programs offer students a chance to earn industry certifications and gain hands-on experience in various fields—whether they would like to attend college or join the workforce or military, NCISD CTE Director Brooke Lyles said. The district’s biggest CTE programs include business and health science, she added. view article

In the 2024-25 school year, the most recent year data was available, 86% of NCISD’s high school students took CTE classes while the state average was 74%, according to the TEA. CTE programs offer students a chance to earn industry certifications and gain hands-on experience in various fields—whether they would like to attend college or join the workforce or military, NCISD CTE Director Brooke Lyles said. The district’s biggest CTE programs include business and health science, she added. view article

Several Southeast Texas school districts are closing their doors for Thursday or in some cases beyond after being battered Tuesday evening by Tropical Storm Edouard. The storm officially made landfall at about 2:20 p.m. near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were about 60 mph at the time the storm moved onshore. view article

North Lamar ISD welcomed community members to North Lamar High School on Wednesday for the district’s Golden Panther Program, a student-led initiative organized and carried out by the North Lamar High School Student Council. The program is designed to connect longtime Panther supporters with today’s students while creating opportunities for different generations of the North Lamar community to come together. view article

As kids grow up, finding quality time to connect as a family can be difficult, which is why many families turn to Cub Scouts.  Cub Scouts creates opportunities for parents and children to experience new adventures together, whether they are exploring the outdoors, learning a new skill or taking on a STEM challenge.  The program is open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade, with activities and experiences evolving alongside them. Kindergarteners begin as Lions, followed by Tigers in first grade, Wolves in second grade and Bears in third grade. Fourth- and fifth-graders participate as Webelos before transitioning to the next level of Scouting. view article

House members questioned nearly $100 million directed to the foundation, its real estate investments, and potential conflicts of interest.  A Texas House committee scrutinized Barbers Hill ISD’s controversial education foundation Wednesday.  Lawmakers questioned the nearly $100 million that has been directed to the private nonprofit, which has reportedly grown to approximately $250 million.  The House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight examined education foundations as part of an interim charge focused on their financial relationships with public school districts, transparency requirements, conflicts of interest, and taxpayer protections.  Much of the hearing centered on the Barbers Hill ISD Education Foundation.  Mandy Drogin, a senior fellow with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told lawmakers her organization reviewed 13 education foundations and found Barbers Hill stood apart.  “But what we found in Barbers Hill ISD is a completely different story,” said Drogin. view article

The country singer started the library in 1995 to boost education in one Tennessee county. It now sends books nationwide and beyond.  Dollywood, the theme park that country music star Dolly Parton branded and co-owned, announced her death on Tuesday and encouraged fans to honor her memory with a gift to the “organization she was so deeply passionate about, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.”  The Imagination Library grew out of Parton’s work to improve education in her childhood home of Sevier County, Tennessee. It aims to boost childhood literacy by simply giving young children many more books. view article