Trials of two Uvalde school officers see delays amid federal lawsuit, venue change

Pete Arredondo, the district’s former police chief, and ex-officer Adrian Gonzales face charges over the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 school shooting. The trials for the two former school police officers facing charges over the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde will be delayed, and one will be moved out of the city where the attack occurred, their lawyers said Tuesday. Former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and officer Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty to dozens of counts of child endangerment and abandonment in connection with the massacre at Robb Elementary School. Both men were set to stand trial on Oct. 20. Gonzales’ trial will be moved to a January start in Corpus Christi, about 200 miles from the school, attorney Nico LaHood said Tuesday. Judge Sid Harle confirmed the agreement for a change of venue for Gonzales, but said no formal order had been filed yet.
Trials of two Uvalde school officers see delays amid federal lawsuit, venue change

Pete Arredondo, the district’s former police chief, and ex-officer Adrian Gonzales face charges over the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 school shooting. The trials for the two former school police officers facing charges over the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde will be delayed, and one will be moved out of the city where the attack occurred, their lawyers said Tuesday. Former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and officer Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty to dozens of counts of child endangerment and abandonment in connection with the massacre at Robb Elementary School. Both men were set to stand trial on Oct. 20. Gonzales’ trial will be moved to a January start in Corpus Christi, about 200 miles from the school, attorney Nico LaHood said Tuesday. Judge Sid Harle confirmed the agreement for a change of venue for Gonzales, but said no formal order had been filed yet.
Central Texas School District Confirms ‘Alphabet Soup’ Club on Hold Pending Review

A new state law prohibits school districts from authorizing or sponsoring a student club based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Austin ISD families and trustees respond to sweeping school closure plan

Families across Austin mourned the potential closure of or changes to their neighborhood campus over the weekend after the Austin school district released a proposal Friday to shutter 13 campuses, revamp six others as non-zoned special program schools and dramatically redraw attendance boundaries across the entire district. If approved by trustees in November, the plan will significantly shift boundaries for thousands of students only six years after another emotional school closure process. Roughly one-quarter of all district students could be impacted under the sweeping proposal.
Texas selects company that will help develop its school voucher program

Finance and technology company Odyssey will help design the application process, manage payments and review complaints for the state’s education savings accounts. Texas’ chief financial officer on Monday named the organization that will help the state build the school voucher program lawmakers approved earlier this year. Odyssey, a technology company, will work with the comptroller’s office, which oversees finances for all of Texas state government, to design the process through which Texas families can apply to receive thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds to cover their children’s private or home-schooling costs. Odyssey will also develop a system for those families to shop for educational products and pay tuition. Applications for Texans to participate in the program are expected to open at some point early next year. The program, named “Texas Education Freedom Accounts,” will then launch at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.
Texas selects company that will help develop its school voucher program

Finance and technology company Odyssey will help design the application process, manage payments and review complaints for the state’s education savings accounts. Texas’ chief financial officer on Monday named the organization that will help the state build the school voucher program lawmakers approved earlier this year. Odyssey, a technology company, will work with the comptroller’s office, which oversees finances for all of Texas state government, to design the process through which Texas families can apply to receive thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds to cover their children’s private or home-schooling costs. Odyssey will also develop a system for those families to shop for educational products and pay tuition. Applications for Texans to participate in the program are expected to open at some point early next year. The program, named “Texas Education Freedom Accounts,” will then launch at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.

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Communities in Schools program supports Rockport-Fulton ISD students facing economic challenges

August 2007:16 AM

ARANSAS COUNTY, Texas — Each campus within Rockport-Fulton ISD has a Communities in Schools classroom, a local non-profit program aimed at supporting students with whatever they need to succeed. This assistance ranges from providing new backpacks to helping families pay utility bills. Cortney Brown has worked as a Communities in Schools case manager for 5 years. "We go out, looking to the community for donations and assistance and resources," Brown said. One of those resources is the Aransas County Children's Coalition, which provides support services to families in the area. Dianne Nielsen, executive director of the coalition, emphasizes the importance of programs like Communities in Schools. view article

Nicole Collier, Texas lawmaker who slept at statehouse, files lawsuit challenging police escorts

August 2006:08 AM

The Fort Worth Democrat was confined in the Capitol overnight after refusing to be shadowed by state police, a requirement for lawmakers who had left the state over the GOP redistricting plan. State Rep. Nicole Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat who has been on the floor of the Texas House since Monday afternoon, filed a lawsuit challenging the chamber’s authority to put members under police surveillance, according to a filing obtained by Courthouse News. Collier is among the Democrats who participated in a two-week walkout to delay passage of a new congressional map that aims to give the GOP five additional seats in the 2026 midterms. Around two dozen of them returned Monday, allowing the House to resume business, but they were only allowed to leave the chamber if they agreed to be shadowed by state law enforcement officers. view article

Texas House to take up GOP congressional map delayed by Democrats’ walkout

August 2005:00 AM

Republican lawmakers are pursuing the unusual mid-decade redistricting plan amid pressure from President Donald Trump to protect the GOP’s slim majority in the U.S. House. The Republican-led Texas House on Wednesday was set to advance a new congressional map crafted to hand five additional U.S. House seats to the GOP over fierce opposition from Democrats, who cast the plan as an attempt by President Donald Trump to stack the deck in next year’s midterm election. Republican lawmakers are pursuing the unusual mid-decade redistricting plan, which has set off a national map-drawing war, amid pressure from Trump to protect the GOP’s slim majority in Congress. The effort comes just four years after the Legislature last overhauled the state’s congressional map following the 2020 Census. Democrats in the Texas House staged a two-week walkout over the plan in a bid to stall the map’s passage and rally a national response among blue states, where lawmakers could launch their own retaliatory redistricting efforts. The roughly two dozen Texas Democrats who returned to Austin on Monday said they were starting the next phase of their fight: putting the screws on their Republican colleagues and establishing a record that could be used in a legal challenge to the map. view article

Ten Commandments posters arrive in Texas public schools, thanks to Glenn Beck, Christian conservative groups

August 2005:00 AM

A new law requiring Texas public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in every classroom is set to go into effect next month, unless a federal court intervenes. The law does not allocate state funding or require teachers and schools to purchase the posters; instead, under Senate Bill 10, educators must accept donations and display the posters once received. As a result, most displays will likely come through donations. view article

Texas Capitol evacuated after shooting threat citing ‘political situation’

August 2005:00 AM

Protestors had gathered at the Capitol building to support state Rep. Nicole Collier (D), who slept on the House floor rather than agreeing to a police escort. view article

AISD tax rate set to decrease, VATRE could impact reduction amount

August 2005:00 AM

ABILENE, Texas — Abilene ISD taxpayers will be seeing a decrease in their local school tax rate. However, based on how people vote during the November election on Proposition A, that will determine how much this decrease will be. RELATED | Abilene ISD seeks voter approval for $10M funding boost in November election AISD Board of Trustees voted last week to call a Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election also known as VATRE. view article

Brownwood ISD invites community to events at Gordon Wood Stadium

August 2005:00 AM

BROWNWOOD, Texas — Brownwood Independent School District (BISD) is inviting the community to two events at Gordon Wood Stadium. The Brownwood Lions Scrimmage is scheduled for Thursday, August 21, with the freshman/junior varsity game at 6 p.m. and the varsity game at 7 p.m. The "Meet the Lions" event will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. RELATED | Brownwood ISD football season ticket renewals now open Attendees are advised to exercise caution due to construction, adhering to fencing and restricted areas for safety. view article

Are Vouchers the Beginning of the End for Rural Public Schools?

August 2004:00 AM

The only time I can remember hearing sirens in Marathon (population 271) was for a school send-off. Six weeks into the 2024 academic year, I stood outside our K–12 public school with the student body and my fellow teachers on a dazzling West Texas morning to see our girls volleyball team off to regionals. Sheriff’s deputies, the fire department, and a fleet of pickups and Suburbans all lined up to escort the Lady Mustangs out of town. I was admiring the motorcade when I turned around and realized that my sixth-grade students had fled the school grounds and were sprinting down Avenue E—escaping!—in their Crocs. Panicked, I cried out after them. “Don’t worry, they’ll come back,” another teacher assured me. They were only circling the block to catch the bus a second time. view article

Boyd ISD proposes unchanged tax rate for FY 2025-26

August 1910:20 AM

The Boyd ISD board of trustees is looking to keep its current tax rate the same for the 2025-26 fiscal year. During Monday’s school board meeting, trustees approved a proposed tax rate of $0.8942 per $100 valuation — the same amount approved for FY 2024-25 last August. Of the amount, $0.6692 will be used for maintenance and operation, while the remaining $0.225 will be earmarked for interest and sinking to pay bonded debt. view article

https://www.keranews.org/government/2025-08-16/texas-funeral-service-commission-kristin-tips-anti-islam-media-scott-bingaman-suleman-lalani

August 1908:45 AM

ACLU and the state’s attorneys ended oral arguments Monday after sparring over freedom of religion protections and historical influence of the biblical directives. A Texas federal judge will decide before Sept. 1 whether to block from taking effect a new state law requiring public schools to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Oral arguments in the case, Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District, concluded on Monday, several weeks after 16 parents of various religious backgrounds, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and other religious freedom organizations, sued the state over what their lawyers called "catastrophically unconstitutional” legislation. view article

Nazi flags hung outside Rockwall ISD school, officials say

August 1908:31 AM

Officials say they're investigating Nazi flags found hanging outside a Rockwall ISD school over the weekend. The Heath Department of Public Safety said it responded to a report of "antisemitic materials" outside Rockwall-Heath High School around 6:40 a.m. Saturday. Photos circulating on social media show the two Nazi flags hanging up on the east side of the building. view article

Another North Texas school district faces potential state takeover after elementary school fails for 5th year in a row

August 1908:31 AM

Lake Worth ISD faces a potential state takeover after the newly-released Texas Education Agency (TEA) A-F school accountability ratings for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 showed an elementary school failing for a fifth consecutive year. This would be the second school district in Tarrant County to face this intervention, as Fort Worth ISD awaits a decision from Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath in the coming months. view article

TEA commissioner celebrates improved accountability ratings at Lubbock ISD’s Wester Elementary

August 1908:26 AM

The leader of the Texas Education Agency is celebrating the success of schools all across the state, right here in Lubbock. Lubbock ISD’s Wester Elementary was featured on TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s statewide-tour to recognize districts’ improved accountability ratings. At their celebration after school Monday afternoon, the Wester Whirlwinds showed off some of what they learned last year. Hard work from the students, their teachers and their leadership led to an “A” accountability rating from the TEA. view article

Pleasant Grove ISD displaying 10 commandments

August 1908:25 AM

Although the law is set to go into effect Sept. 1, Pleasant Grove ISD leaders decided to post the displays at the start of the school year. view article

Temple ISD proposes a $122 million bond to address growth and safety concerns

August 1908:24 AM

Temple Independent School District is asking voters to decide on two bond propositions this November totaling $122 million. Proposition A focuses on school safety with plans for additional officers and fencing, while Proposition B would add more classrooms to address growth. view article

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Boerne ISD calls for voter approval tax rate election in November

August 1908:22 AM

The Boerne Independent School District Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) set for November 4, 2025. The election will ask voters to consider a three-cent increase to the district’s Maintenance and Operations tax rate, potentially generating an estimated $4.8 million annually for the district. view article

U.S. News ranks high schools in Texas. Here are the top Houston-area campuses.

August 1908:21 AM

High schools in Alief, Spring, Spring Branch, Katy and Houston ISDs, as well as a few charter districts, snagged spots as the best in the Houston region, according to rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. Despite the strong suburban showing of high-performing high schools, Houston ISD claimed the region's top six spots. Two high schools in the district were also among the top 10 high schools in the state and the top 100 high schools in the U.S. view article

Texas Funeral Commission chair texts Anti-Islam hate speech amid EPIC City battle

August 1907:04 AM

Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn launched state and federal investigations into the East Plano Islamic Center's proposed EPIC City project meant to build about 1,000 homes and a mosque in the Dallas suburb of Josephine. view article

Texas House Regains Quorum as Democrats Return From Walkout

August 1905:50 AM

The return of quorum has reignited debate about how to handle the Democrats who fled. view article

Court Rejects ‘Qualified Immunity’ for Lorena ISD Admin in Sex Abuse Lawsuit

August 1905:46 AM

The Fifth Circuit denied Lorena Primary School Principal April Jewell’s motion to dismiss, clearing the way for the lawsuit against Jewell and the district to proceed. An appeals court rejected a Lorena Primary School principal’s claim that she is immune from liability in a civil lawsuit for failing to protect a pre-K student from a teacher’s sexual abuse. On Friday, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Principal April Jewell’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the basis of “qualified immunity.” Such immunity shields school officials from federal civil liability unless their conduct violates a clearly established constitutional right to an extent that “shocks the conscience.” The decision is a win for local families seeking justice for a victim identified in court records as “Jane Doe.” view article

Head of Texas funeral commission shared anti-Islam media, pictures of Muslim state rep in texts

August 1905:45 AM

NO MORE EXCUSES: Texas Set to End Schools’ ‘Sovereign Immunity’ in Sex Abuse Cases

August 1905:00 AM

The State Senate unanimously approved a House measure to hold school districts accountable for protecting students from sexual predators. view article

Pro-Late Term Abortion Organization Gave UT-Austin $2.5 Million

August 1905:00 AM

The Society of Family Planning “opposes the inclusion of gestational duration limits, including viability, in legislation, laws, initiatives, or regulations.” A UT-Austin research project on “self-managed medication abortions” received funding from an abortion advocacy group. The payments, discovered via an open records request, span from late 2018 through 2025 and were made from the Society of Family Planning Research Fund to Project SANA at the University of Texas at Austin. In late 2018, Project SANA, which stands for “Self-managed Abortion Needs Assessment,” entered into a grant contract with the Society of Family Planning Research Fund. Project SANA received a total of $1,944,587, paid in three installments, between 2018 and 2021. view article

Texas Investigates AI Chatbot Companies for Deceptive Mental Health Service Aimed at Children 

August 1905:00 AM

Paxton’s investigation builds upon a probe into Character AI’s data privacy and safety practices announced in December. view article

Confusion reigns as Texas colleges scramble to comply with ban on in-state tuition for undocumented students

August 1904:00 AM

The state isn’t providing schools with guidance and advocates say students who still qualify for lower rates are being asked to pay thousands more. view article

2025 A-F ratings: 31% of Texas public school campuses improved year-over-year

August 1809:00 AM

The Texas Education Agency released public school accountability ratings for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years on Aug. 15, wrapping up a legal battle that began nearly two years prior. Texans can find the updated accountability ratings for K-12 districts and individual campuses at www.txschools.gov. The big picture: Across the state, most school districts and campuses maintained or improved their A-F ratings between the 2023-24 to 2024-25 school years. Of 1,208 districts, 24% received a higher rating, while 64% kept the same rating and 12% received a lower rating, TEA data shows. Thirty-one percent of Texas’ 9,084 public school campuses received a higher grade in 2025. Meanwhile, 55% received the same grade and 15% received a lower grade. The TEA said that 757 campuses improved from a B or lower in 2024 to an A in 2025. view article

Abbott calls second special session as first round ends with Democrats still out of state

August 1808:47 AM

view article

Vaccine exemption requests in Texas spike in July, as some experts fear more families will opt out

August 1808:45 AM

Federal funding cuts to immunization efforts and a new law that allows exemption forms to be downloaded, instead of mailed, could drive up exemptions in the future. Texas school districts are coming back from summer with a rising number of parents asking for vaccine exemption forms and a new law that will make those documents even easier to obtain. Combined with funding cuts to public vaccination programs, chilling effects of immigration policies on health care, and the wearying battle by school nurses to balance parental consent and overall student body health, Texas schools are on track to have the lowest vaccination rates in decades if exemption rates continue to climb. view article

Audio: Gambling Executive Boasts About Rigged Texas Jackpot

August 1808:35 AM

A recording points to internal coordination in a $95 million jackpot scheme. view article

Abbott Launches Second Special Session as Democrats Signal End to Walkout

August 1805:00 AM

Speaker Dustin Burrows adds over-the-counter ivermectin as a priority for the House. view article

Illegal Aliens Should Not Be Counted In the Census

August 1805:00 AM

Inflated numbers: For decades, leftists have taken advantage of the U.S. Census by counting illegal aliens and emphasizing racial and ethnic background in the Census questionnaire—both of which affect the funding and power of blue districts. ]But the Trump administration is moving in the right direction. “Unbeknownst to most people, the administration has already done a great deal of good to stop the census from balkanizing the country by quietly shuttering the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations,” writes Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow in Heritage's Davis Institute. view article

Five Texas school districts at risk of a state takeover after ratings’ release

August 1805:00 AM

Connally, Lake Worth, Beaumont, Wichita Falls and Fort Worth school districts have all amassed five consecutive failing grades at one or more of its campuses, the threshold to trigger state action, a Texas Education Agency spokesperson confirmed with The Texas Tribune on Friday. view article

Texas students’ STAAR scores for this year are out. Here’s how your school or district did.

August 1805:00 AM

Test scores rose slightly after math scores previously fell last year. New scores on the state's standardized test released on Friday show a slight improvement in both students’ reading and math scores over last year when math scores slipped. The share of students meeting grade-level standards rose this year from 53% to 54% in reading and from 41% to 43% in math. Students’ performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam is a window into their proficiency in math and reading skills — skills they’ll need to succeed after high school. Early literacy can be a strong predictor of educational attainment and academic performance later in life. And having solid math skills early on sets up a pipeline to high-paying, in-demand STEM jobs. view article

Feds plan to build nation’s biggest migrant detention center at Fort Bliss

August 1805:00 AM

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a contract to build and run a 5,000-bed tent camp at the Army base in El Paso. The federal government plans to spend $1.26 billion to build the country's largest immigration detention center at Fort Bliss, an army base in El Paso, according to a contract announced in July. The U.S. Department of Defense announced that Virginia-based company Acquisition Logistics LLC was given nearly $232 million up front to build and run the 5,000-bed tent camp. The federal agency said work on the facility is expected to be completed by September 2027. According to the ACLU, the Trump administration started to detain people there on Aug. 17. view article

Texas students’ STAAR scores for this year are out. Here’s how your school or district did.

August 1805:00 AM

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TexasISD.com was the brainchild of Joe F. Smith. Joe retired early from a successful career as Superintendent of Schools for Hudson ISD, deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Due to a long battle with Post-Polio Syndrome the doctor made him hang it up and rest for six months. Never being the kind of person to sit still and also not being the person to listen to his doctor, Joe logged lengthy sessions in front of his PC researching school issues, reading papers and corresponding with his friends and colleagues in the education business.

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