Karnack ISD sixth- through eighth-graders recently took a field trip to attend the performance of Sons & Daughters of Black History and visit several historic locations around Marshall to learn more about the Civil Rights movement. The Marshall Regional Arts Council invited the community to attend the presentation, which featured Toni Simmons doing interactive storytelling and Africans rhythms. KISD students who attended listened to songs and stories of historical events during the performance before they traveled around Marshall to visit different historic locations such as the Paramount Theater. view article

NN anchor John King expressed shock on Tuesday over the high concentration of "uncommitted" voters in Dearborn, Michigan.  To protest President Joe Biden's stance on the Israel-Hamas war, Muslim American Democratic voters campaigned for like-minded voters to select "uncommitted" in Tuesday's primary election. Their goal? Send a message to the president.  Unfortunately for Biden, they accomplished their mission. view article

When widespread heater failures in the San Antonio Independent School District left students shivering in classrooms in January, district leaders promised to publish a report on the causes of the failures. But publishing that report is taking longer than district leaders initially indicated. Heating systems broke down at a majority of the district’s campuses when SAISD returned to class on Jan. 16 after a three-day weekend spanning multiple days of below-freezing temperatures. But SAISD leaders didn’t realize the scope of the problem until the second day of classes. In order to identify needed repairs and come up with a fix, SAISD closed all of the district’s schools for two days. view article

The University Interscholastic League executive committee will meet Wednesday morning to consider penalties for North Shore High School for violating the organization’s recruiting rules. The committee will convene at 10:25 a.m. to consider punishment for violations of Section 51(a)(8) and Section 52(b). The first part of that, Section 51, pertains to school district personnel, who by act or omission, cause a school to be in violation of UIL rules. In this case, it’s recruiting, a Category A violation that requires a more severe penalty. The second part, Section 52, refers to the failure of a school to comply with UIL rules when not in conflict with the State Board of Education rules or regulations. The parties in question for the meeting are North Shore football offensive coordinator Andrew Cameron and North Shore High School. view article

The HISD superintendent released a shocking report claiming the district has wasted money on certain expenditures for decades.   State-appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles released a report on Tuesday outlining a restructuring plan detailing "inefficiencies" and excessive spending he says has plagued the district for years. The plan, he said, would support the addition of over 100 schools to his New Education System next year. view article

Decatur ISD decides against four-day school week - Parents and students packed a Decatur ISD school board meeting Monday night to voice their opinions about switching to a four-day school week. In a 4-3 vote, the board of trustees voted against implementing a four-day school week in the Fall of 2024-2025. Instead, the board voted to revisit the issue during a special session in two weeks. view article

A Northside Independent School District board meeting turned into a call for action Tuesday night after several current and former special education teachers filled the meeting to voice their frustrations and concerns. “When was the last time any of you were hit by a student?” asked a teacher during a public comment. view article

In a 6-1 vote, the Denton Independent District School voted to keep two books in the library at Newton Rayzor Elementary. Denton ISD book ban At issue, books titled "Jacob's New Dress" and "Jacob's Room to Choose." The main character of the series goes on a courageous journey towards wearing a dress to school. The fictional child also ponders using the girl's restroom in one of the books. view article

Comedian Shane Gillis made his triumphant return to "Saturday Night Live," marking a victory for the comic who was once fired from the iconic sketch comedy show. Gillis, who was fired from SNL in 2019, returned to the live comedy show and pushed the envelope with a politically-incorrect monologue that would have been seemingly unusable in recent years without a public apology. The stand-up comedian started his night by begging viewers and audience members not to look up the reason why he was fired from the network show. "Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I was fired from this show a while ago. But... don’t look that up. Please. If you don’t know who I am, please don’t Google that. It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it," he joked. view article

The superintendent used the district’s email system to message staff, raising questions as to whether Texas Election Code needs to be strengthened in regards to electioneering.  With the primary election underway, Texas school districts’ utilization of taxpayer-funded resources to get out the vote is being closely scrutinized.   Denison Independent School District Superintendent David Kirkbride sent out an email to Denison ISD employees encouraging them to vote for candidates who “support public education” while decrying the governor’s push for school choice for Texas students.   view article

The porn conglomerate could be subject to millions of dollars in fines. Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing a major pornography distributer for failing to comply with a new state law requiring age verification for internet pornography. House Bill 1181, which went into effect in November, requires commercial porn websites to use “reasonable” methods to verify that users are at least 18 years of age before they access X-rated content online. Pornhub—the largest online platform for sharing sex videos—had sued Texas along with other pro-porn plaintiffs to keep HB 1181 from taking effect. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, said the state could enforce the new law. view article

The University of Texas System Board of Regents has named Neal Weaver as the sole finalist to lead Stephen F. Austin State University. If confirmed, Weaver would be the Nacogdoches-based school's first permanent president since it joined the UT System last year.  Weaver has served as president of Georgia Southwestern State University, which belongs to the University of Georgia System based in Americus, Georgia, for the past seven years .  “The Regents met with outstanding candidates, and Dr. Weaver’s ability to lead in a thriving academic environment, coupled with his commitment to innovation and strategic growth, make him an ideal appointment to serve Stephen F. Austin State University as it enters its new era as a UT institution,” said UT System Board Chair Kevin Eltife in a press release Thursday. view article

Richardson ISD held the first of five parent listening sessions Monday night following last week's announcement that the district plans to close five schools in the coming years. Under "Project RightSize," Greenwood, Springridge, Spring Valley and Thurgood Marshall elementary schools will be consolidated with neighboring schools starting in the upcoming school year, and Dobie Pre-K will close beginning in 2025. view article

Classes will be canceled Thursday and Friday so students and staff can attend the Devilettes UIL state tournament game. The ISD announced on Sunday that no classes would be held on Feb. 29 or Mar. 1 to allow the community to support their girls basketball team. The Devilettes play Columbus at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in the first 3A semi-final game in the Alamodome. view article

Pearsall Independent School District announced they are canceling classes for Tuesday, Feb. 27. Parents, guardians and community members were sent a letter from Dr. Nobert Rodriguez, Superintendent of Schools Monday afternoon. view article

LOS ANGELES — Far-right activist Chaya Raichik splits her time between California, where she’s registered to vote, and Florida, where she often travels. But the place where she arguably is having the biggest impact these days is Oklahoma, a state she’s visited only once. Tech is not your friend. We are. Sign up for The Tech Friend newsletter.  Raichik, who operates the social media account Libs of TikTok, has amassed an audience of millions on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, largely by targeting LGBTQ+ people. Last month, Raichik was appointed to the Oklahoma Library Media Advisory Committee by Republican schools superintendent Ryan Walters, a former history teacher who has been called “the state’s top culture warrior” for his opposition to teachers unions and other conservative targets, including LGBTQ+ students’ rights. view article

A Texas judge on Thursday said the Barbers Hill Independent School District can punish a Black student who wears his hair in long locs without violating Texas’ new CROWN Act, which is meant to prevent hairstyle discrimination in schools and workplaces. The decision came after a monthslong dispute between the district and Darryl George, a junior at Barbers Hill High School who has been sent to in-school suspension since August for wearing his hair in long locs. Legislators last year passed a law called the Texas CROWN Act that prohibits discrimination on the basis of hair texture or protective styles associated with race. Protective styles include locs, braids and twists. view article

Paxton’s office demanded records of migrants that Annunciation House has helped and threatened to shut down the Catholic shelter network.  El Paso leaders on Friday denounced Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s threat to shut down Annunciation House, a network of migrant shelters that has been in operation for almost 50 years.  “An attack on one is an attack on all,” U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, said during a news conference at the shelter’s office, which was packed with supporters.  Annunciation House operates several shelters in El Paso, helping immigrants and refugees who are experiencing homelessness with various needs, including food and housing, and providing information on how to complete legal documents to claim asylum in the United States. view article

More than half of Texans are registered to vote, but decisions that affect the 30 million residents are often made by a small portion of registered voters. Voting is a powerful tool for electing leaders who are invested in making the right decisions for their constituents, but Texas residents must go to the polls to ensure their voices are heard. view article

With the possibility of district rezoning looming in the future, BISD brought in students, parents and teachers to talk about what's next.   Beaumont Independent School District officials are laying out a plan to re-evaluate school attendance zones.   They say with growth and new construction happening all around the city they want to make sure students are going to school where they live.  The process will take nearly two years to complete and students be moving to a new school by fall of 2025.  view article

Austin Independent School District is recalculating the GPA and class rank for hundreds of high school seniors after discovering inconsistencies in its ranking process. The review of grades has already changed the rank of some students in the top 15 percent of their high school class. The issue dates back to a pandemic-era policy to mark students as pass or incomplete rather than provide a numerical grade. The practice was only used during the Spring 2020 semester, but according to district officials, there were inconsistencies in how the system interpreted or assigned the value of “P” for passing. view article

BEAUMONT, Texas — Beaumont Independent School District officials are laying out a plan to re-evaluate school attendance zones. They say with growth and new construction happening all around the city they want to make sure students are going to school where they live.  The process will take nearly two years to complete and students be moving to a new school by fall of 2025.   With the possibility of district rezoning looming in the future, BISD brought in students, parents and teachers to talk about what's next.  view article

We now know what the 2024-25 school calendar will look like for Bryan ISD students and staff. The school board adopted the new calendar following feedback from parents, families, staff and the community. More than 4,000 survey responses were submitted. Ultimately, calendar option two ended up being the winner with 65% of the vote. view article

The UIL on Tuesday denied Harlandale ISD’s appeal to have Harlandale and McCollum move from the football district they were assigned for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. view article

Citizens Defending Freedom and attorney Mitch Little are joining the fight against unsuitable books in Denton ISD.  A Denton mom and grandmother is escalating her fight to keep inappropriate books out of her local elementary school libraries, and she’s gaining support from grassroots activists and a prominent Republican lawyer.  Debi Scaggs raised her children in Denton Independent School District, and now her grandchildren attend school in the district.  Last year, Scaggs challenged several elementary school library books that promoted “transgender” ideology to young children.  The district removed three of the books Scaggs challenged but kept books about a boy who wears dresses to school, Jacob’s New Dress and Jacob’s Room to Choose by Sarah Hoffman. view article

Protests are planned outside the home of the superintendent of Barbers Hill ISD. Activists say the district’s policy restricting the length of boy’s hair violates the Crown Act. This comes as the case involving a current student, Darryl George, 18, heads to trial Thursday. George hasn’t spent much time at Barbers Hill High School. He was suspended in August 2023 for violating the dress code. view article

After record numbers of illegal aliens have flooded into the United States, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is working on plans to release thousands of illegal aliens from detention centers into the country. According to a report from The Washington Post, ICE is planning to mass release more than 16,000 illegal aliens into the country after Senate Republicans and a handful of Democrats rejected a border measure supported by the Biden administration. The measure would have erased a $700 million budget shortfall but did not address Republicans’ concerns over the border crisis. view article

A Dallas Independent School District middle school is being renamed in honor of longtime state Sen. Royce West, but not everyone is happy with the decision. An official renaming ceremony for the Royce West Leadership Academy, located on Sebring Drive in southeast Dallas and known formerly as Kennedy Curry Middle School, is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday. view article

The Livingston Independent School District on Wednesday expressed condolences to the family and friends of Audrii Cunningham, the 11-year-old who had been missing since Thursday, after her body was found in the Trinity River. The school district said Cunningham was a fifth-grade student and asked people to "keep Audrii's family, teachers, friends and community in your thoughts and prayers" in a statement on Facebook. view article

While the term “amygdala” may not bear much significance for the average person, elementary students attending Biomedical Preparatory at UT Southwestern understand it as the small structure inside the brain that processes emotions. Through experiential learning and the school’s partnership with the UTSW Medical Center, students easily grasp complex concepts like this every day. view article

Joshua ISD students may be going to school just four days a week starting this fall. A hybrid four-day week is one of three calendar options the district is considering.  Joshua ISD Superintendent Corey Hickerson hosted a Facebook live on Wednesday to answer questions from parents about the new calendar, as well as school capacity and other issues.  “Our goal, if we implement this hybrid model, is to implement the burden on parents,” Hickerson said. “We want to make that as easy transition for the parents.”  Hickerson first addressed a Jan. 19 letter sent to parents concerning the capacity concerns at Elder and North Joshua elementary schools. view article

But school choice — a proposal that would use public dollars to help K-12 students pay for private school tuition — is not likely to be top of mind for primary voters, political experts say. Republicans are more likely to vote based on bread-and-butter conservative issues, such as border security or the economy.  After being a major focal point of Texas education policy for more than a year, school choice is likely to be one among many issues motivating voters in the Republican primary election.  During the 2023 legislative year, school choice, also known as vouchers or education savings accounts, drew thousands of supporters and opponents to the Capitol as lawmakers took up various iterations of the issue — none of which made it to the finish line. Advocates from across the country flew to Austin to persuade lawmakers to change their votes. Gov. Greg Abbott threw the weight of his office behind school choice, touring schools across Texas to encourage voters to call their representatives, and even called on religious leaders to preach about the issue from the pulpit. view article

An undercover investigation reveals multiple Texas universities admitting they will continue DEI work despite the state’s ban.  A new investigation released by Accuracy in Media reveals how Texas universities are attempting to skirt a state law that bans Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies in higher education.   Accuracy in Media (AIM)—an organization that empowers individuals to hold journalists, public officials, and private officials accountable—has released an undercover investigation showing multiple university officials saying they will continue DEI work under new names.  view article

What’s happening at the intersection of rampant illegal immigration and education in Texas? As it turns out, quite a lot.  Last week, multiple incumbent members of the Texas House, who voted to strip a school choice provision from an omnibus education bill in late 2023, released political ads claiming their votes were motivated by border security convictions.  Gov. Greg Abbott called one of these lawmakers, Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), a liar, and State Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston) a fraud for “knowingly misleading his own voters to try to protect the teacher unions.” view article

Editor’s note: This story led off this week’s Future of Learning newsletter, which is delivered free to subscribers’ inboxes every other Wednesday with trends and top stories about education innovation. By traditional measures of well-being, America’s children and teens should be doing well. Consider that:  Over the past two decades, high school graduation rates have gone up.  Fewer teens are taking up smoking.  The birth rate among 15-to-19 year olds is at a record low.  Arrest rates among teens are dropping. Youth drug use is trending down.  Nevertheless, teens report that their own mental health is spiraling: Increasingly, they are anxious, depressed and wrestling with thoughts of suicide. The measures that researchers have traditionally used to gauge adolescent well-being have become sharply out of step with the reality of adolescent life. view article