During its meeting earlier this week, the Lockhart Independent School District Board of Trustees approved its budget for the year — which includes free school supplies for the 2024-2025 school year. Those school supplies are for all LISD students, the district said in a news release. view article

Folks will have to wait and see whether the Seguin ISD will allow homeschool students the opportunity to participate in its UIL activities. The motion to table the decision was made Tuesday night by Trustee\ Denise Crettenden. Following a few seconds of silence among the other trustees, Crettenden opted to table the item instead of agreeing to the district’s recommendation not to allow non-enrolled students to participate in UIL activities at this time. view article

Fort Worth ISD trustees approved over $38 million in new spending during its June 25 board meeting, targeting areas such as insurance, educational services and after-school programs. Other purchases include investments in district infrastructure, such as repairs on air conditioning units and educational capabilities, including state-adopted curriculums for the coming school year. view article

With roughly three weeks until the new school year begins, over 100 Laredo ISD principals and staff members recently participated in a leadership training session. Nixon High School Principal Cassandra Mendoza is among the hundreds of Laredo ISD staff members preparing for the new school year by attending the annual leadership summit. view article

The owner of a security company employed by a North Texas school district has been accused of sexually assaulting a child, police say. Kirk Stanley Grable, 54, was booked July 16 in Parker County jail and faces charges of prohibited sexual conduct and sexually assaulting a child, according to booking records. Grable posted $500,000 in bond the next day and was released. view article

Several Democrat members of Speaker Dade Phelan’s leadership team have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President, following an announcement by President Joe Biden this weekend stating he would not accept his party’s nomination for a second term. view article

Panhandle ISD is giving high school students the opportunity to participate in a rocketry class after partnering with a STEM-based curriculum organization, Systems Go. “One of the things that developed into a priority in some of our trainings is that we want each student to have the critical skills necessary to think through a problem, sometimes to understand their end result,” said Panhandle Superintendent Dr. John Sherrill. view article

A Jasper ISD coach identified as Ayden Burt, 28, has died after being shot in the upper back while sitting outside at a downtown patio bar early Tuesday morning, KENS TV, the CBS affiliate in San Antonio, confirmed. The Jasper Independent School District also confirmed the coach’s death in a Facebook post. Burt reportedly coached track, volleyball and the cheer team. view article

Fresh off winning enough delegates to earn the Democratic party's nomination, Kamala Harris is coming to Houston Thursday to speak to educators.  The visit, first reported by the Houston Chronicle Tuesday, marks Harris' second trip to Texas this month after delivering an address to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority convention in Dallas two weeks prior and one of Harris' first campaign stops since declaring her presidential candidacy Sunday. The AFT, the nation's largest teachers' union, announced its endorsement of Harris Monday, following in the footsteps of over 60 labor unions nationwide. Now, Harris will touch down in her namesake Harris County to return the favor. view article

In today's Community Conversations, Ysleta Independent School District Superintendent Xavier De La Torre joined the KFOX14 Morning News to talk about the upcoming school year. July 29 is the first day of school for Ysleta ISD. De La Torre explained the initiatives the school district is bringing in the new school year. view article

London ISD kicked off this school year today with lots of excitement as they have new buildings that opened today. Those are actually opening up when our kids come in on [today]. Brand new buildings," Dr. Chapman said. view article

“We’ve had a cosmetology program here for quite some time, since 2015,” said Tyler ISD Executive Director of College and Career Kristen Walls. “The difference is we are giving our students the opportunity to earn dual credit for that.” view article

It is with profound sadness that Texarkana Independent School District (TISD) announces the passing of Gerald Brooks, a dedicated and longtime member of our community and the TISD Board of Trustees. Mr. Brooks passed away Sunday leaving behind a legacy of service, education, and commitment to the betterment of our community. view article

The first day of school is right around the corner for several school districts. On Tuesday (7/23) afternoon, Hutto ISD is hosting their annual Back to School Rally to help families get ready for the big day. The district is calling all the hippos to come out to the Hutto Memorial Stadium for a night of fun. view article

Biden’s exit positions Doug Emhoff to become the first Jewish White House spouse the White House in Washington, May 20, 2024. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) JTA — Joe Biden’s decision to end his presidential campaign and endorse Kamala Harris could make American Jewish history: If Harris is nominated and wins, her husband Doug Emhoff would be the first Jewish spouse in the White House. A Harris victory, of course, would make her the first woman president. It would make Emhoff the inaugural first gentleman. He’s embraced being second gentleman and has been a visible presence in Harris’s campaigns. Since he came into the role in 2021, Emhoff has especially leaned into his position’s Jewish aspects, from lighting a menorah in the official residence to focusing on antisemitism and Holocaust remembrance. view article

They're the backbone of so many schools. Parent Teacher Associations, like the one at Porter Elementary in Mesquite, raise money, and volunteer time to better help kids grow. "Miss Goodner, sweetheart of the school. She said books, books for the vending machine. Our dear counselor Miss Ontiveros, she said uniforms for kids that are less fortunate to help the students right here in our community," said PTA President of Porter Elementary, Ava Moss, of the work she and other parents pulled off. view article

Both the Karnack ISD and Jefferson ISD Board of Trustees recently extended an agreement between the districts to allow Jefferson to continue providing an education to Karnack students in grades 9-12. At the regularly held meeting for the Jefferson ISD Board of Trustees on July 9, Jefferson Superintendent Michael Walker introduced the updated agreement, which was originally set to extend in the 2024-25 academic year. He stated that Karnack Superintendent Angela Fitzpatrick had approached him to determine if Jefferson would also provide transportation for students in grades 9-12 back to the Karnack pickup location. view article

Starting with the graduating class of 2028, which will begin high school this fall, Round Rock ISD students will be able to have a greater variety of courses count towards their rank in class. Trustees approved an update to the district's rank-in-class policy July 18, allowing for more courses to be factored into these calculations. Prior to this approval, only English, science, math, social studies and language courses were included in calculations for class rank. Additional weight is also given to advanced courses. view article

While students in kindergarten through second grade at FISD have met or exceeded the benchmark of the mCLASS assessment in percentages over 70%, the kindergarten grave level made notable improvements in recent years, as students who were either at or above benchmark increased proficiency by at least 5% from 2020-21 to 2023-24, according to district documents. view article

Aldine ISD families with returning students to the 2024-2025 school year can visit any Aldine campus on several selected dates in July and August to complete the required Annual Update, now available online. The Annual Update open labs will assist families in English and Spanish. view article

In today's Community Conversations, Clint Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Juan Martinez joined the KFOX14 Morning News to talk about the upcoming school year. The first day of school for Clint ISD is Monday. view article

Poll after poll shows Texas voters rank immigration and the border as the most pressing issues.  Unlike many Texas Democrats before him, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred wants to talk about the border.  In particular, he wants to talk about how U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who he’s challenging this November, helped spike major bipartisan border legislation earlier this year — part of Allred’s broader effort to paint Cruz as an obstructionist whose hardline stances have hindered long-overdue immigration reform.  At the same time, Allred is trying to define his own relatively unknown immigration views before Cruz can do it for him, running ads that call himself “tough” on the border and embracing a mix of proposals bolstering border security and expanding pathways to legal status.  But the notion that Allred is tough on the border is laughable to Cruz, who says his Democratic foe is trying to have it both ways and showing a newfound interest in the topic only now that he’s running for statewide office. Cruz, who is also making immigration the linchpin of his campaign, said Allred is papering over a voting record and past comments that show the Dallas Democrat more aligned with President Joe Biden’s unpopular border policies than he would have voters believe. view article

Corpus Christi ISD's tenth Tech2Teach event will take place July 24 and 25. The school district holds Tech2Teach every summer, offering free sessions on technology in the classroom for hundreds of teachers July 24 and 25. Corpus Christi ISD families are also invited to attend sessions on Thursday. view article

There is so much fun to be had at a VYPE Media Days! From team and individual pictures, social media shout-outs and video interviews, it is all there for the student-athletes to feel like a superstar. VYPE had its Fort Bend ISD 2024 Fall Media recently. view article

Last week, when they could have been anywhere but in a school building, nearly 300 Katy ISD student-athletes gathered to learn and grow as burgeoning leaders. Every summer, the district holds its annual Student Athlete Leadership Team (S.A.L.T.) conference, which is dedicated to enhancing students’ leadership skills and personal growth. The students represent all UIL sports played in Katy ISD and are nominated to participate by a member of their campus coaching staff for their leadership potential and commitment to excellence. view article

Walking on newly shined tile floors, there were cheers and high fives. The welcome-backs weren't for students but for Dallas ISD principals. Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde spearheads these welcome backs often revealing new curriculum, data, and big plans. She sat on the sidelines this time with no voice, but her staff told teachers the big plan is to just keep at it. view article

San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) board members met tonight, with an update on their rightsizing plan ahead of the upcoming school year. SAISD voted to close more than a dozen schools last year as part of their “right-sizing” efforts. view article

Palestine ISD announced on Monday that a longtime teacher and staff member, Carmen Davis, tragically died in an auto accident on Saturday. Carmen Davis, courtesy of Palestine ISD According to Palestine ISD, Davis had served their district for 20 years, serving as a para professional for six years before becoming a teacher. The school said that in her 14 years of teaching Davis “inspired those who were in her classes.” view article

This is the 10th year Dallas City of Learning and nonprofit Big Thought have teamed up with Dallas ISD to offer an award-winning summer learning program, Summer Breeze. The program is free for Dallas ISD students at five locations across the area. “This DCOL citywide initiative ensures that students have access to a high-quality summer learning program designed to prevent summer learning loss,” spokeswoman Sandy Diaz Haily said. “The program integrates academics with a social-emotional curriculum, providing students the opportunity to learn outside a traditional classroom, with activities focused on STEM, arts, and life skills. This provides students a unique opportunity to explore creative, hands-on experiences, sparking their interests, feeding their curiosity, and crafting a space where they can engage in innovative activities that inspire lifelong career paths. “ view article

After Hurricane Beryl made landfall July 8, school districts closed throughout the Greater Houston area, including Alvin, Friendswood and Pearland ISDs. While the three school districts have reopened, some may have to extend summer school dates to make up for the closures. The gist AISD closed July 8-10 due to Hurricane Beryl and reopened July 11, according to multiple social media posts from the district. Although the district reopened, a July 10 Facebook post from the district noted summer school, extracurricular activities and professional development would be closed after reopening due to ongoing power outages in several buildings. view article

The San Angelo Independent School District recently announced its annual “Schedule Pick-Up and Form Verification” back-to-school event for high schools and middle schools for the upcoming school year. view article

North Texas school districts are seeing an increase in students experiencing homelessness — even in affluent communities like Plano. Students experiencing homelessness — or what James Thomas from Plano ISD calls “living in transition”— are eligible for services at school under the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The federal law aims to increase these students’ access to education. view article

Houston ISD will resume summer school classes Monday after Hurricane Beryl caused power outages that forced the district to cancel classes last week. HISD spokesperson Joseph Sam said Sunday that all HISD summer school students will be returning to class, and each campus will be contacting families with information about where their children will attend class. He said students who normally attend a campus that still does have power will attend a different site. view article

Eight students from Waskom ISD recently participated in the English as a Second Language Newcomer program, which included field trip experiences to use the language around the community. The English as a Second Language (ESL) Newcomer program available at WISD provides an opportunity for students to continue developing their English language proficiency. The newcomer program welcomed eight students through the summer break in an effort to allow each participant to continue learning. view article

RISD is changing the dates of spring break on the 2024-25 student academic calendar. The new dates for spring break will be March 10-14, 2025 – moved up one week from the previous dates of March 17-21. The change is being made because Dallas College, which provides dual credit courses to RISD students, recently changed their spring break dates without notice. Because RISD students collectively take more than 3,200 dual credit courses through Dallas College (and taught by DC professors), the spring breaks of Richardson ISD and other area school districts must match Dallas College. view article