A Texas A&M professor has been told not to teach certain writings from Plato, a staple in introductory philosophy courses, because they may violate the university system's new rules against "advocating" race or gender ideology, or topics concerning sexual orientation, in core classes. view article

Dozens of parents gathered in a Heights High School performance hall Tuesday night to ask questions and voice their concerns over Houston ISD's proposal to sunset several magnet programs across 10 different high schools in the district. "This plan has not had any community input and this meeting was only added when we made an uproar," said Latrice Ferguson, president of the Heights High School PTO. view article

Parents in Fort Bend County are planning to protest outside Arizona Fleming Elementary on Friday morning as concerns grow over Fort Bend ISD’s proposed attendance boundary changes. While Fort Bend ISD says the plans are still in draft form, families say the uncertainty surrounding the proposal is already taking an emotional toll. view article

Several parents in Fort Bend ISD are speaking out after learning their children’s elementary school could soon close. What we know: The district is considering a rezoning proposal that could lead to boundary changes and possible school closures. Now, parents at Sugar Mill Elementary say they’re fighting back. view article

Austin Independent School District leaders will decide this month which campus the students at Blackshear and Oak Springs elementary schools will ultimately attend, after the school Board of Trustees decided in November to merge the campuses as part of a broader plan to close 10 schools. view article

Students at Waco ISD have a new creative outlet. Waco ISD has officially dedicated its new makerspace at South Waco Elementary, the district has announced. District leaders and community members gathered at the school on Jan. 5 to celebrate the dedication. According to Waco ISD, the space is designed to "inspire and enhance student creativity and learning through the use of technology." view article

Gov. Greg Abbott is placing blame on Dallas city leadership following AT&T’s decision to move its global headquarters from downtown Dallas to Plano. Speaking at a law enforcement event in Fort Worth, Abbott criticized Dallas officials for what he described as failures in public safety and homelessness response.  Dallas is bearing the brunt or burden of their failure to have fully staffed law enforcement, their failure to contain a homeless problem,” Abbott said.  Abbott’s comments came one day after AT&T announced plans to relocate its headquarters to 54 acres of land in Plano, a move the company said would allow it to “cost-effectively consolidate” three North Texas locations.  "After nearly a year of consideration, deliberation and planning, we have made the decision to invest in our employee experience and construct a new global headquarters at 5400 Legacy Drive in Plano, Texas," AT&T CEO John Stankey wrote in a message to employees Monday morning. view article

The Seguin ISD is working to improve the academic achievement of all students at all of its campuses. The district recently released its plans to improve performance within the state’s accountability measures. Superintendent Jack Lee says the district is taking a strategic approach to improving academic performance across its campuses. Dr. Lee says there must be a critical focus on leadership at both the campus and district level, along with a clear and sustained commitment to teacher support. He says those elements are essential to driving meaningful change across the district. He went on to layout the full strategy during a recent meeting of the Seguin ISD Board of Trustees. view article

Applications for Texas Education Freedom Accounts can be submitted starting Feb. 4. The initiative reshapes how families can use public education dollars and sparks debate over equity, oversight and cost. view article

Following the Eanes ISD board of trustees’ Nov. 18 discussion on four potential budget optimization packages, a ThoughtExchange survey opened from Nov. 20-Dec. 5 to gauge the community's thoughts on potential next steps to reduce future projected multimillion dollar budget shortfalls. view article

Students planning for the 2026–27 school year in Frisco Independent School District will have more academic choices than ever, thanks to new course offerings and expanded flexible learning options through the Frisco Flex program. According to the district, the updates are designed to give students greater control over how they learn while still meeting graduation requirements and preparing for college, careers or industry certifications. view article

Staff with Sherman ISD are asking parents for feedback on 2 proposed calendars for the 2026-27 school year. Both options are posted on the district's website and differ in the number of instructional days, daily class time, and built-in planning time for staff. Through the survey, staff at the district will determine if the duration of the school day will remain the same — or be shortened by 10 minutes. view article

South Texas builders said a growing number of ICE arrests at construction sites have made it difficult for work to continue.  U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz promised to explore new ways for migrants to work legally in the construction industry.  The Edinburg Republican announced on Monday her plans to meet with the U.S. Department of Labor, after South Texas builders voiced frustration with how immigration arrests at construction sites were negatively impacting their industry. De La Cruz suggested the U.S. should create a special visa program for construction workers, similar to the H-2A visa program that allows foreign nationals to work in the agriculture sector.  “We’d like to see where the construction industry would fit,” De La Cruz said.  President Donald Trump won reelection after promising to step up deportations. During the last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have arrested more than 9,100 people in South Texas alone. view article

On top of dozens of laws taking effect on Jan. 1 and the incoming midterm elections, the new year also comes with developments on numerous policy issues affecting the state. They range from criminal justice to education to international trade, setting up a year that could bring about sweeping changes for Texans.  Here are some important issues to watch in 2026. view article

Here are some important dates to know in Georgetown ISD as students head back for the spring semester.  What you need to know: Students will return to classrooms in GISD Jan. 6, following the holiday break. view article

Telecommunications giant AT&T announced Monday that the company will be constructing a new 1.8 million square foot global headquarters in Plano, leaving its longtime downtown Dallas location.  WFAA reports that AT&T CEO John Stankey informed employees that the new headquarters in Plano will be large enough to consolidate the company’s three campuses in the Dallas area into one.  view article

Recent confusion sparked in Manor over signs posted outside some local restaurants. However, the signs are not recent at all. The signs read: "Important Notice. No Manor ISD students are allowed on the premises between the hours of: Monday-Friday 8am-4pm unless accompanied by an adult. For any inquiries, contact the Manor ISD Police Department…" view article

Longview community figure and longtime LISD admin Doris McQueen died on Jan. 1. According to Longview ISD, a memorial service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at Longview EPC, 3800 Judson Road. McQueen’s obituary states she was born in Marshall on May 27, 1930. She graduated from Longview High School in 1947, already working as a bookkeeper in the district’s business office. view article

The A&M Board of Regents came to want a more explicitly conservative leader who would shut down controversy before it reared its head, as members grew weary from the steady drumbeat of online posts accusing the university of embracing liberal ideology. view article

A historical marker was unveiled Saturday morning for Dunbar High School, commemorating its history and importance in the community.  "A lot of familiar faces here, but I'm glad you are all in this room to celebrate this momentous occasion," Daniel Spikes said in his opening remarks.  Kendrick Morris continued the ceremony, noting that Dunbar had undergone many changes over the years.   "When I attended Dunbar, it was the intermediate school. I was here before it was changed to the education center," he said. "Today we are gathered at a site that represents much more than just bricks and mortar. view article

North East Independent School District is under pressure from the Texas Education Agency to revise its cell phone policy, which the agency claims does not comply with a new state law. The district has been placed on a "corrective action plan" due to its handling of cell phones this year. The state law prohibits student use of cell phones during the school day, but North East ISD has allowed access during lunch and passing periods. view article

Dr. Rod Paige, the former U.S. Secretary of Education and Houston school leader, has died, the mayor’s office confirms. Dr. Paige served as the seventh U.S. Secretary of Education. His position was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2001. He had previously served as dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University, a trustee on the Houston ISD Board of Education and superintendent of the school district. view article

Mount Pleasant ISD is mourning the loss of one of its students. Ava Claire Hageman, 13, passed away Sunday. The school district described her as a bright, joyful spirit with a tender heart. "She loved God’s creation, especially being outdoors creating and exploring. She was particularly gifted at fishing, golfing, and really loved running cross country, playing softball, and playing basketball. Wonder came naturally to her. She was exceptionally smart and had a special gift with children, always patient, playful, and welcoming. She was the life of the party," the obituary read. view article

Fort Worth ISD’s school board approved zoning changes last night for schools that will close at the end of the year. Parents of students at Kirkpatrick Elementary School, EJ Briscoe Elementary School, Charles Nash Elementary School, and Riverside Applied Learning Center now know where their children will go to school in 2026. The vote came after the student council president at Riverside spoke against the changes. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott is backing away from a casino expansion effort he previously signaled openness toward, marking a significant a shift after years of high-dollar lobbying and campaign cash from casino interests failed to move lawmakers toward legalized gambling.  In a new interview with CBS 11 News, Abbott said he is “not there yet” on casino legalization, citing concerns over addiction and recent sports-betting scandals involving athletes.  view article

With a new middle school set to open in the 2026-27 school year, Prosper ISD officials have set new attendance zones for its middle school campuses. The district's board of trustees approved the attendance boundaries during a Nov. 17 board meeting. view article

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Texas should create its own version of President Donald Trump’s new child investment accounts, announcing that the state should provide every Texas newborn with an additional $1,000 in publicly funded, long-term savings beginning in 2027. The initiative mirrors and expands upon the federal Trump Accounts program created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, which seeds every American newborn’s account with $1,000 that cannot be accessed until adulthood and grows through investment in a broad U.S. stock-market index. The accounts are intended to accumulate wealth from birth and teach families and children long-term financial planning. view article

California-owned energy company Oncor has ties to the project expansion, a move expected to boost its profits at the expense of Texans.  Records show that Oncor, the largest energy delivery company in Texas, played a pivotal role in transforming a regional reliability project into a statewide mega-expansion—one that will drive up Texans’ energy bills while benefiting the company financially.  The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which oversees Texas’ energy grid, approved the TX 765-kilovolt (kV) Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan Comparison (STEP) project in August. Experts say this was done without legislative or public consent and will burden Texas’ energy prices for years to come.The proposed plan includes three 765kV Extra-High Voltage (EHV) electric transmission lines going into the Permian Basin area, as well as two 765kV EHV transmission line projects to connect the western and eastern loop point-to-point electrical connections. view article

Texas earmarked $1.4 billion to help fund flood prevention projects. But after learning that so many communities turned down the money, two lawmakers who approved the program acknowledged it was flawed. view article

On Monday, Fort Bend ISD board members met. The majority of the meeting was focused on the districts long-term boundary plan. Earlier this year, the district announced its looking to make changes mainly due to declining enrollment -- a plan that the district says could close schools and rezone students. view article

A freshman student in the Lewisville Independent School District died after being struck by a pickup truck on Tuesday afternoon.  view article

When the Texas Education Agency Commissioner holds closed-door meetings with a national partisan group like Turning Point USA and the lieutenant governor follows up with a million-dollar pledge to put that group’s chapters in every high school, something fundamental is changing in our state. view article

As more and more students face behavioral health challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and ADHD, Waco ISD is helping give their students access to licensed behavioral health professionals. Thanks to a new partnership between the district and Waco Family Medicine, clinicians with Waco Family Medicine will soon be placed at Cesar Chavez, Tennyson, and G.W. Carver middle school. view article

Belton ISD's Chisolm Trail Elementary is bringing back a beloved tradition to help students in need this Christmas season, the Elf Closet. Every year since the school opened in 2013, Chisolm Trail has opened the Elf Closet, an annual holiday shop that allows parents to choose holiday gifts for their children, free of charge. view article

Fort Bend ISD will unveil elementary rezoning scenarios on Dec. 15. view article