Should every special-education classroom be recorded? Dallas ISD trustees are debating cameras

Children with severe disabilities often don’t have the ability to speak up when they are hurt at school, so determining what happened can be difficult. That’s why one Dallas ISD trustee wants to require each special education classroom in the district to have video cameras. Texas public schools are already required to place one in a special education setting if a parent requests it. view article

Round Rock ISD principal placed on administrative leave following discrimination allegations

The principal of Early College High School is under fire. Veronica Coss has been placed on administrative leave over reports of discrimination. Former staff member Stephanie Martin stood in front of the Round Rock ISD board members last week detailing the harassment and disparaging comments she said Coss has made toward students. “The following are things I personally heard her say If I shared everything it would take a longer time than I am allotted here,” Martin said. “Immigrants don’t teach their kids how to behave, we need to ween 504 children off their accommodations, ADHD kids just need to exercise.” view article

Sweeny starts social media reading program

Started as a means to get children engaged with reading outside of class, Sweeny ISD officials have begun reading books to children on social media each week with “Bulldog Bedtime Stories.” “We realize not every family has a library of books,” Sweeny Elementary Principal Michael Heinroth said. That realization prompted Heinroth to start recording himself reading books in brief videos on social media, allowing families not to have to spend money on new books, he said. view article

Georgetown ISD students to see big changes thanks to $150M bond project

Students with Georgetown Independent School District are about to see a lot of changes. Voters approved a $150 million bond for the district in November 2018, and some upgrades have already been made as a result. In January, KVUE reported that crews finished installing new football and softball fields at East View High School in Georgetown. view article

What not to study: The 20 college majors with the highest unemployment rates

Having a high-paying job doesn't necessarily mean you'll have job stability, and vice versa. Some college majors that lead to high-paying jobs also come with above-average unemployment rates - and that includes majors in fields like engineering, cognitive science, and the arts. The financial-education company Bankrate found the unemployment rates for college majors, based on the most recent available data from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Using weighted data, Bankrate determined the unemployment rates and median incomes for graduates across 162 majors that employed at least 15,000 people. view article

Back to School is August 26th, Teachers Receive Pay Raises

Eagle Pass Independent School District Superintendent Samuel Mijares announced at a press conference on August 15, 2019 that all schools of the local school district will commence classes on Monday, August 26th, with over 14,000 students expected to attend during the 2019-2020 school year. Mijares noted that all local public Pre-Kindergarten schools will now be providing instruction all day from 8:15 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. as mandated by the Texas Legislature. Parents are encouraged to prepare their young children for attending school during the full day. view article

Houston-area schools fare better than state average on new A-F grading system

For years, Stephens Elementary School in Aldine ISD has been defined by the challenges that it faces rather than its academic successes. Nearly 90 percent of its students are considered economically disadvantaged by the Texas Education Agency. Nearly half are English language learners. And to state education officials, the school was failing academically. view article

Former Student Sues Dallas ISD After Losing Salutatorian Status Day Before Graduation

A former student has filed a lawsuit against Dallas ISD after he lost his status as his high school’s salutatorian a day before graduation due to a last minute change in rankings. In June, the district apologized after class rankings at Woodrow Wilson High School were changed right before graduation because of a calculation error. Now a former student is suing Dallas ISD, claiming that the change will affect his applications to universities and employers. view article

Austin ISD to discuss restyling dress code policies that unfairly target female students, cultures

Austin Independent School District leaders will meet with parents, students and employees to discuss potential dress code changes Wednesday evening. According to our partners at the Austin American-Statesman, leaders want to remove language that unfairly targets female students and specific cultures. The last time the district's dress code was updated was more than 10 years ago in 2007. view article

Temple High School seniors participate in ‘Adulting 101’ mini-classes

Temple ISD's 2019 senior class participated in a series of mini-classes on Wednesday called "Adulting 101." view article

Huffman ISD announces early dismissal at all campuses ahead of heavy rain storms

Due to expected severe weather this afternoon and evening, all Huffman ISD schools will have early release. Hargrave High School and Huffman Middle School will be released at 1:30 p.m. Huffman Elementary School and Falcon Ridge Elementary School will be released at 2:45. view article

Lumberton student finds ‘vulgar’ language in STAAR test

A fifth grade Lumberton Independent School District student reported "vulgar" language in the STAAR reading test last month, according to information from LISD.  view article

Mansfield ISD Student Posts Blackface Video on Social Media

Mansfield ISD is investigating after one of its students posted a video on social media showing them smearing their face with black body paint and using a racial slur, the district said in a statement Wednesday. The district said the video was posted by a Lake Ridge High School student. view article

TASBO: We are the business of education!

House committee considers ways to make schools safer

The state House Public Education Committee on Tuesday considered more than 30 bills aimed at making Texas public schools safer, including measures that would put more armed personnel on campuses and give districts money for sweeping security changes. The Legislature has made improving school safety a priority this session after 10 people, mostly students, were shot and killed at Santa Fe High School 10 months ago. The shooting spurred roundtable discussions and studies among policymakers, lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott in the immediate aftermath. “Out of that loss, we have an opportunity to devote ourselves and commit ourselves to seeing that their loss was not in vain and that future students, future teachers, future families in this state will, if at all possible, not have to experience what these individuals experienced,” said Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, during Tuesday’s hearing. view article

Austin ISD considers two proposals to expand pre-K access

Two proposals up for votes Monday would expand access to pre-K education for Austin ISD families. The first would use $80,000 in city funding to create up to five new 3-year-old pre-K classes inside AISD schools, expanding the capacity of district early-education classrooms from 1,120 students to 1,350 students next school year. view article

Beaumont ISD principal gets GMA attention for reading bedtime stories to students

Belinda George, the Homer Drive Elementary School principal who breaks out her pajamas every Tuesday night to read a bedtime story to her students via iPhone video, will be featured on Good Morning America Friday morning. It's the latest media exposure for the Beaumont educator since she was featured in an Enterprise last month. view article

LETTERS: Our readers differ sharply on Waco ISD Superintendent Nelson

In a Trib interview, Waco ISD Superintendent A. Marcus Nelson expressed remorse for his March 6 traffic arrest for marijuana possession (less than two ounces), an incident reportedly triggered by a Houston-based friend’s suggestion on what might bring Nelson relief for chronic back pain. view article

Burleson ISD finalist for $100,000 H-E-B Honor

The Burleson Independent School District is in the race to be the best in Texas. H-E-B named BISD as a top-five candidate in the large school districts category for this year’s Excellence in Education Award. The award is the largest monetary program for Texas educators and schools. view article

State legislators seek to curb property tax increases, local officials point to assessment growth

Property tax reform has been a top priority for Texas lawmakers from the start of the 86th legislative session. The early filing of identical, wide-reaching bills in the House and Senate in January—Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2—sparked debate on the topic and earned pushback from many local entities that could be affected by the proposals. The twin bills propose to lower the cap for local entities’ annual tax revenue growth from 8 percent to 2.5 percent and to improve efficiency and transparency in the tax system. The proposals were fast-tracked for debate in both chambers after Gov. Greg Abbott declared property tax an emergency item in February, and dozens of related bills have been filed in their wake. view article

WOODARD SELECTED AS LONE FINALIST FOR LISD SUPT. POSITION

The Latexo Independent School District Board of Trustees made it official on Thursday, March 7 as they announced Latexo High School Principal Michael Woodard was the lone finalist for the Latexo ISD superintendent’s position. Latexo ISD Board President Kelly Nicol opened the meeting and informed those in attendance, “In our last meeting on Tuesday (March 5) – at about 10 pm – we named Mr. Michael Woodard as our lone finalist for the Latexo ISD superintendent’s position.” view article

Abilene ISD considers two-story elementary schools to replace Austin and Taylor

Austin and Taylor elementary school students could find themselves stepping up if preliminary designs for their new schools become reality. Up some stairs, that is. Huckabee, a Fort Worth based architecture firm hired to create the two schools associated with the recently passed $138.7 million bond, created a two-story floor plan for Austin, on the southwest side of the city, and Taylor, in northeast Abilene. view article

Somerville ISD made the best of a bad day after power outage

Staff at Somerville Elementary sprang into action when their entire school was left in the dark Wednesday. "We had to find some places to have light so they would be able to see their text books,” said Jessica Douglas, a 3rd grade teacher at Somerville Elementary. view article

Former Midland ISD teacher arrested in SC for possession of child pornography

Terry Burchett, 69, was arrested in South Carolina on February 18 on charges of child pornography. He was found to be in possession of over 9,800 sexually explicit images of children according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. view article

Lancaster ISD Watering Kindergarten College Dreams With Cash

In Lancaster, piggy banks are helping plant the seeds of college dreams, especially when the school district chips in $50 just to get families started. view article

This Mexican musical tradition is now an official sanctioned high school event in Texas

Mariachi performance is a fully sanctioned University Interscholastic League event for the first time this year — a sign the Mexican ensemble style of music known for its stringed instruments, trumpets and powerful Spanish-language vocals is growing in popularity at Texas high schools. The State Mariachi Festival has been held for three years under a pilot status, but this year’s event in Edinburg later this month means the festival is here to stay. The festival’s status comes as mariachi programs appear to be growing in Texas, where Hispanic students make a growing part of the school population. “We believe that mariachi music is an important part of the heritage of many students in Texas because it is a part of their family heritage,” said Brad Kent, the UIL’s director of music. view article

Coppell ISD middle school teacher accused of inappropriate behavior with student

A Coppell ISD middle school teacher accused of inappropriate behavior with a student was arrested Monday on campus, officials say. The Dallas County Sheriff's Department arrested Julie Jenkin Brewer, 45, about 3:30 p.m. at Coppell Middle School West in the 2700 block of Ranch Trail in Dallas. Officials had received a complaint about alleged inappropriate text and social media messages between Brewer and a student, Sheriff's Department spokesman Raul Reyna said. view article

Whitehouse ISD: Student arrested for making terroristic threat

A Whitehouse ISD student has been arrested Tuesday after making a threat. According to a Facebook post from Whitehouse ISD, the student was arrested Tuesday morning and was charged with making a terroristic threat, a 3rd degree felony.

Hays CISD releases draft innovation plan

On Nov. 9 Hays CISD released the draft of its innovation plan, which must be approved by the board of trustees in order to receive a district of innovation designation. If approved, the district would be able to make changes to the academic calendar and to exempt some Career and Technical Education instructors from teacher certification requirements. The district of innovation designation was created by the Texas Legislature in 2015 as a way to give independent school districts some of the flexibility that charters schools have under state law. While becoming a district of innovation can allow for numerous exemptions to curriculum or logistics requirements, the most-used exemption is the one that allows schools to start earlier in August. view article

In reversal, Texas board votes to teach students about Helen Keller, Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller are back on the lesson plan after a vote by the Texas State Board of Education. The committee voted 12-2, with one abstention, on Tuesday to continue teaching students about Clinton in high school history classes, according to State Board of Education Director Debbie Ratcliffe. The board also voted to keep Keller on the curriculum. The vote reverses a September preliminary decision to cut the women, along with 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater and several other historical figures, from the required curriculum. The board said then that the change was intended to streamline the curriculum for its 5.4 million students at the recommendation of volunteer work groups. view article

UPDATE: Voters pass $118.3 million New Braunfels ISD bond

After a majority of voters showed support for a $118.3 million bond package for New Braunfels ISD, the district will move forward with plans to build new schools, make facility renovations, increase security measures, upgrade technology, enhance transportation and expand athletic programs. “I mean it’s a significant percentage so first of all I’m really happy to see that that many people voted,” said NBISD Board President Sherry Harrison. “I’m very excited about that all by itself.” view article

Port Aransas ISD receives $1.2 million FEMA grant for Harvey recovery reimbursements

Port Aransas schools are getting reimbursed for measures they took to get things up and running after Hurricane Harvey. The district on Monday announced it had received a grant for more than $1.2 million Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for things such as generators, air dryers, portables and security. Those items and more were needed in the aftermath of the Category 4 storm hit the area Aug. 25, 2017. view article

Big Country band directors step up to help Coleman directors injured in car crash

The spirit of the Big Country was in full effect over the weekend. The Coleman High School band director, Matthew Sowell and wis wife, Jackie, the assistant director were injured in a car crash the day before UIL marching contest in Mineral Wells. "My wife and I were coming [to morning band practice] and it was raining," Matthew Sowell says. "An 18-wheeler lost control right in front of us." view article

San Eli ISD Teacher Using Real-World Law Enforcement, Investigation Techniques to Prep Students

As a forensics and biomedical sciences CTE teacher, Luna exposes her students to techniques used in real world law enforcement and crime investigations. Her lessons cover topics related to the collection of evidence including entomology, anthropology, ABO blood typing, fingerprinting, DNA, case studies, hair analysis and ballistics. view article

Leander ISD works with Concordia University to offer new summer leadership program

Aspiring Leander ISD teachers now have the option to earn their master’s degree of education with a specialization in education administration through a unique partnership with Concordia University Texas. The new LISD Aspiring Leader program, which kicked off in May, offers district-specific coursework to groom potential and current LISD teachers for their careers with a distinctly LISD-oriented approach. view article