Governor Greg Abbott announces the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities' (GCPD) winners of the 2022 Barbara Jordan Media Awards (BJMA) for media content created in 2021. The BJMA program was established in 1982 to recognize the respectful, accurate portrayal of people with disabilities by media professionals and students. Working in partnership with the University of Texas Arlington (UTA) College of Liberal Arts Department of Communication and Disability Studies Minor, the GCPD will host the 39th Annual BJMA program highlighting and honoring this year’s winners and their outstanding work. view article

The Lockhart Independent School District wants to make it easier for staff to save on gas. The district Tuesday afternoon posted on Facebook announcing the “Drive.Pair.Share.” initiative. The district will pay staff living 10 miles or more from Lockhart if they drive to work with at least one other staff member who also lives 10 miles or more from Lockhart. LISD said the driver can earn $10 a day from the district. view article

Corsicana ISD Trustees approved changes to the dress code, banning all hoodies and hoods, for all schools for the 2022-2023 school year at a special meeting Monday. Spirit shirts or collared shirts in CISD-approved colors will be allowed for daily wear. If an unapproved shirt is worn as an undershirt, a sweatshirt must remain on while at school. Shirts do not have to be tucked in. Sections regarding belts and socks were eliminated from the dress code. view article

During a special meeting on Monday, the Corsicana Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to make changes to the Standardized Dress Code eliminating hoods and leggings while relaxing rules around socks and belts. One of the main modifications included the elimination of hoodies and hooded apparel in an effort to enhance school safety, the district said, though they didn't elaborate on the reasoning. view article

Numerous posts containing photos and videos of fights in the CHISD, along with complaints of disturbing activity involving strangers, are making the rounds and it has folks concerned about the safety of students. view article

During the investigation, police determined the suspects fled the scene in an older model maroon, four-door Honda Civic that was missing its rear bumper.  A picture of a vehicle of interest wanted in connection to a shooting that killed a North Texas track star in April 2022 was released this week by the Fort Worth Police Department.   Rashard Guinyard, 17, was a senior at Crowley High School and planning on attending Abilene Christian University on a track scholarship. view article

Tyler ISD students at Boshears Center for Exceptional Programs on Tuesday presented “Ohana Hive,” their annual fine arts program. The program, which has different themes every year, was open to family and consisted of 45 students who are enrolled at Boshears, a campus that caters to students who have been identified with having severe/profound disabilities. Melissa Dene, fine arts teacher at Boshears, said the program happens every year and provides a good experience for students. “This is a play that we started putting on when I started working here, and it's a play that includes all of our school and it gives us an opportunity for our students to have the same experiences as their counterparts in general education,” she said. view article

Dallas ISD leaders organized an event to honor the work of every principal of all 230 district schools to recognize their work during the 2021-22 school year. The event, Celebrating the Road We’ve Traveled, took place at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens on June 23rd. Former Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa and Chief of School Leadership Tiffany Huitt celebrated the fundamental role of our principals in our school communities. view article

A Harris County judge on Tuesday blocked Texas officials from enforcing a decades-old abortion ban, effectively allowing health providers to perform the procedure without the threat of prosecution. With the temporary restraining order issued by Judge Christine Weems, abortions done up to six weeks of gestation will be able to resume in the state. “It is a relief that this Texas state court acted so quickly to block this deeply harmful abortion ban,” Marc Hearron, the senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. “This decision will allow abortion services to resume at many clinics across the state. … Every hour that abortion is accessible in Texas is a victory.” The Center for Reproductive Rights, the ACLU of Texas, and two law firms joined forces Monday to represent a coalition of abortion providers in Texas and challenge the pre-Roe ban. view article

In Uvalde, Texas, the school district's police chief, Pete Arredondo, was put on administrative leave last week following widespread criticism of his response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 21 people, including 19 children. Arredondo also serves on Uvalde's City Council but has not attended any meeting since he was sworn in just days after the shooting. Uvalde City Council members were considering granting Arredondo a leave of absence, and that's when Kim Hammond decided to speak up. view article

A petition to change the new dress code or do away with it has reached over 5,000 signatures. Parents sounded off about it to board members Monday night. view article

CANUTILLO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — School districts in El Paso are offering current and potential employees incentives for the 2022-2023 school year. Canutillo Independent School District Board of Trustees will consider offering employees more time off. The employee leave plan would prioritize mental health and wellness, according to CISD superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz. “This is a benefit that will not only serve our employees by guaranteeing that they have their mental and physical health needs addressed in a manner that doesn’t impact their livelihood, but it also will impact our students by making sure all of our teachers and auxiliary personnel feel healthy and ready to take on the task of helping our children meet their academic goals,” Galaviz said. view article

The Uvalde parents, who lost their kids in a horrific elementary school massacre, have been failed, and failed again. It's becoming increasingly clear these parents were failed by a federal and state system that could not fulfill its basic governing duty -- ensuring the safety and well-being of their children, in this case from an 18-year-old who had legally bought a high-powered rifle that killed them in their classroom. view article

We all know some schools have more resources than others. Parents buy houses and choose neighborhoods based on school performance. There's a lot to be said about a school by its playground, the place kids go to let out steam. Some are an outdoor oasis, while others are so uninspiring that children don't even bother. That's something volunteers are working to change. "What we're really hoping for is what we call play space equity throughout the district so that would mean every child that's learning in Fort Worth ISD would have play equipment suited to their needs," said Kathyn Lusk with the nonprofit group Kaboom. Kaboom is working to build better playspaces for children. They've been at it for a while now, targeting schools whose playgrounds need a boost, like Western Hills Elementary in Fort Worth. view article

A certain Alvin ISD club sports team has people hooked. “The first year, we had 10 kids, the next year we had 20,” said Hampton Fox, who along with fellow teacher Clifford McDonald sponsors the district’s fishing team, which first wet its lines in 2018. “Last year, we had 30 and there’s no telling how many people we’ll have this year. Every year, I get more and more kids and parents asking about the team.” view article

FORNEY, Texas - Students and parents in a suburb East of Dallas expressed their outrage over a change in the school district's dress code. Forney ISD banned hoodies for all students and dresses for girls. One student launched a petition against it with thousands of signatures. The dress code wasn’t on Monday’s Forney ISD agenda. The policy change has already been made, but families wanted to take the opportunity tonight to tell the board how they feel about it. Next school year in Forney ISD, girls starting in the fifth grade and up cannot wear dresses or skirts and nobody is allowed to wear a hoodie. view article

FORNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Parents and students showed up at Forney ISD's school board meeting Monday night to ask board members to reconsider the recent changes to the district's dress code. Brooklynn Hollaman addressed the school board in a dress she will not be allowed to wear in school next year. Last week, the incoming Forney ISD 10th grader started a petition asking the school board to reverse its decision. "It started off with a few hundred signatures and then it started getting 1,000, 2,000, eventually 5,000," Hollaman said. In a recently released YouTube video, the district it announced it's no longer allowing clothes with hoods or dresses, skirts or skorts for 5th through 12th graders to boost student self-esteem and bridge socio-economic differences. view article

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — With Friday’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, many expect the Texas “trigger law” to take effect in 30 days, but that’s not exactly how it works. The law — which automatically bans most abortions in the state — takes effect 30 days after the U.S. Supreme Court issues an official judgment, not an opinion, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “The Court will issue its judgment only after the window for the litigants to file a motion for rehearing has closed,” Paxton said in an official advisory. “A judgment can issue in about a month, or longer if the Court considers a motion for rehearing.” view article

Dallas schools Superintendent Michael Hinojosa will resign from the district earlier than initially planned. But, he said, that’s not necessarily a signal that he’s launching a mayoral bid. The district’s trustees originally approved a voluntary resignation agreement that laid out conditions for Hinojosa to remain employed with the district through Dec. 31. view article

San Diego Independent School District is excited to announce that for the third year in a row, they have been successful in obtaining the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Summer Grant from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), according to Superintendent Dr. Rodrigo Pena. The amount awarded was $50,000 and the mission of the grant is to create equitable opportunities for students, so that they will be prepared for college, career or the military. view article

Title IX opened the door which allowed women in sports at an even higher level. Kelcie Wood is the Athletic Trainer for the Corpus Christi Hooks   It's been 50 years since girls and women could do what the boys and men do in sports. Flash forward 50 years, that's exactly what they're doing.  Since the beginning, Theresa Lentz knew she could hang with the boys. She was second to none and gender had nothing to do with it.  "They were never like, 'hey, you can't come throw with us. You can't come play football with us in the front yard,' they were like 'c'mon Teresa let's go play!' I was never restricted on what I could do and what I couldn't do. I played little league baseball until I was 12. In my eyes, we were the same," said Lentz, the Head Softball Coach for the Calallen Wildcats. view article

WICHITA FALLS,  In the Facebook post, multiple screenshots are shown from alleged victims giving their stories and details of inappropriate encounters with the employee. Texas (KAUZ) - City View ISD has released a statement after social media posts and comments surfaced accusing an employee at the school of misconduct. The statement is as follows: “It is always the goal and intent of our administration to protect our students, staff, and community. City View ISD will not tolerate any acts of misconduct. However, we will not address such serious allegations over social media. Anyone who would like to file a formal complaint should do so with the Superintendent and/or Chief of Police. The administration building is open 9:00-4:00 Monday-Thursday throughout the summer months. Sincerely, Tony Bushong Superintendent” view article

Brian Malone is Arp’s new boys basketball coach, and he has ideas that he believes will make the Tigers more competitive. Malone takes over from Joe Crawford who recorded his 400th win in January. While Crawford still plans to teach, he stepped down from coaching; enter Brian Malone “I’ve been dying to get back into the head coaching business, on that side of the ball, and I thought Arp was a great fit, Malone said. “Coach Mickey, I love him; he’s a great guy. He came in and told me, ‘Be yourself. Do what you feel is best for the kids,’ so I’m here to do that.” view article

When a North Texas school district returns from summer break in August, many of its students might find themselves looking for new wardrobes knowing that they will be unable to wear dresses, skirts or hoodies as part of the district’s effort to promote professionalism. The Forney Independent School District announced this week that it was implementing the new dress code to help improve the children’s “future workforce skills” for the 2022-23 academic year. All hoodies, as well as hooded jackets and coats, will be prohibited for all the roughly 15,000 students inside any of FISD’s 18 schools. Dresses, skirts and skorts are now allowed only for kids in prekindergarten through the fourth grade in an effort the district says will “help prepare students for a safe and successful future.” view article

An exciting new school year is quickly approaching, and Northwest Elementary School will be welcoming students with a new principal, added grade levels, and a renewed spirit of academic excellence. “I am blessed by God with the chance to build new relationships with the awesome staff and students at Northwest,” said Principal Dee Dee Wright. “I can’t wait to provide multiple opportunities to help our students become the best they can be and have success in academics and social/emotional well-being. We are in the business of serving others and our students come first.” view article

An old saying, “all politics start at the local level.” Crucial decisions on rules, laws, ordinances, codes, annual budget, and a large portion of our taxes are decided at the local level during meetings that most residents don’t think about. The issues that affect your city, county, schools, and every day of your life are discussed and decided on during these meetings, including your tax rates. It is up to us to keep our local officials honest and shape the future of our county, school districts, and cities. These weekly meetings, where important decisions are made for Hays County, school districts, and the surrounding local municipalities of Buda, Dripping Springs, Kyle, San Marcos, and Wimberley, are listed below. view article

Corpus Christi students are making a splash in the field of underwater robotics. Underwater robotics programs offer students the chance to design and engineer robots to advance science and explore the oceans. There are several underwater robotics teams in Corpus Christi ISD, including at Moody High School, Cunningham Middle School at South Park and Baker Middle School. view article

Forney ISD officials seem to think that wearing dresses is unprofessional. That is the conclusion we are left to draw from the rollout of a bizarre new district dress code that bans dresses and skirts on students from fifth grade on. The district’s explanations for its new policy are vague, but Forney ISD Superintendent Justin Terry said in a video that the dress code is part of a push to teach “workforce skills.” It’s as if district administrators live in a world where professional women everywhere don’t wear perfectly appropriate dresses and skirts to work. The new policy also bans hoodies. That makes sense for safety reasons; hoodies obscure faces. But the district has not adequately explained why students in intermediate, middle school and high school should be forbidden from wearing dresses and skirts. Other districts in the Dallas area restrict their length. In fact, it had been Forney ISD’s policy to allow dresses falling between the bottom of the knee and up to 3 inches above. What happened? view article

UVALDE — Gabby Quirova asked for loose natural curls at the hair salon, which she knew could stand up to the heat and still look intact all throughout Friday’s graduation ceremony. She’d be off to college soon, at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, a place she was originally worried would be too big and confusing to navigate, but she had recently visited and loved all of the professors she met. She fell in love with teaching during high school and her dream is to become a special education teacher. Two other women were getting their hair done at 1 p.m. and a hairdresser sang along with a Celine Dion song. A “happy birthday” banner was strewn across the mirror in anticipation of the hairdresser's birthday on Sunday. view article

Social media feeds in Forney are buzzing this summer about changes for the next school year. The discussion is all about the Forney Independent School District making changes to its dress code. "I may be a little young to understand what professionalism means right now," a girl is heard saying in a video produced by Forney ISD, one in a series of videos to be released this summer to explain changes to the dress code. The most significant changes include no hoodies -- or any clothing with hoods inside the buildings; -- and dresses, skirts and skorts are allowed only through fourth grade. The school district calls the plan "Back for the Future." view article

Forney ISD decided to toughen its dress code to ban hoodies, skirts, skorts, and dresses. Why? The district wants to promote “professionalism.” One student has started a petition to change it back. How strict should dress codes be? (Photo Courtesy of WFAA) view article

SAN ANTONIO – It’s graduation season, which means we are honoring the class of 2022! Today, Southside ISD, Medina Valley ISD, Fort Sam Houston ISD, Judson ISD, Harlandale ISD takes the spotlight. view article

"I grew up in a home where sometimes we didn't have food," she said. "I grew up in a home where sometimes I was holding a baby on my chest while I was writing a paper. I grew up in a home that was hard sometimes." School was always her sanctuary. "I had teachers that I could go to their classroom and hang out and really decompress," she explained. So now, she's paying it forward by entering a DFW school next year through the Teach for America program, which works to reduce educational inequalities. To get prepared, this summer she and dozens of other new teachers are training with veteran Dallas ISD teachers. view article

Four rising juniors from the up-and-coming La Vega High School rowing team put oars in the water for their first time ever Wednesday in Waco Rowing Center’s ongoing effort to bring the sport to a new population. Former Olympic rower Luke Walton, and Waco Rowing Center Executive Director Matt Scheuritzel, himself a former collegiate rowing medalist, both said they were impressed with how quickly the beginning rowers gained confidence in their strokes. “I’ve seen novice rowers sit for 20 minutes before taking a second stroke,” Scheuritzel said as Mecca Walker began to stroke with more power after less than 10 minutes on the water.    (23) view article

TYLER — Forty to 50 Tyler ISD students with disabilities are chosen through parent recommendations to participate in the district’s therapeutic horseback riding program. For 18-year-old Dillon Welch, it’s made a difference. Instructor Janice McDaniel has been part of the program at Wayne D. Boshears Center for Exceptional Programs for 16 years. She said it changes lives. “He’s saying a few other words more clearly all the time, and that’s very exciting with Dillon and getting his mind to focus down,” she said of Dillon. “He has so much to say, so many things to think about, and to get him to kind of focus is one of my main goals down here … .” Welch on Wednesday was riding a horse in the arena on part of the campus along with 4-year-old Jackson Cromeans. view article