El Paso ISD leaves Superintendent Diana Sayavedra’s position unchanged

The El Paso Independent School District took no action regarding the future of Diana Sayavedra's role as superintendent. The special board meeting was called by Board President Leah Hanany to address Sayavedra's duties and employment status. view article

Booming Texas town’s growth prompts school district’s massive land deal

Boerne Independent School District announced last week that it is in the process of purchasing 70 acres of land near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Old Fredericksburg Road in south Kendall County. The decision to enter the land deal was made May 20, and leaders say the move is to prepare for increasing enrollment projections. Last year, the school district announced it was raising the pay for school bus drivers in the wake of a nearly 1,000 increase in bus riders from the previous school year. view article

Edcouch-Elsa ISD appoints wife of school board member as interim superintendent

Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District has an interim superintendent. The former superintendent, Alda Benavides, retired last Wednesday and the school board selected Dr. Sandra Ochoa to replace her. Ochoa is married to sitting school board trustee Dr. Ricardo Ochoa. According to Edcouch-Elsa ISD attorney Benjamin Castillo, Ochoa's husband did not attend last Wednesday's meeting where his wife was selected. view article

Enrollment projections for Round Rock ISD shift with housing market changes

Round Rock ISD is projected to reach a district wide enrollment of between 45,893 and 48,690 students in the next decade, a new demographics report shows. In a departure from reports historically provided by Zonda Education, the range of possible results represents outcomes the district could face due to a few challenges in the local housing market, consultant Hudson Huff told trustees in a May update. view article

Aldine ISD Leader Named to National Superintendent Leadership Academy

Georgina “Gina” Foroi, executive director of family and community engagement for Aldine ISD, has been selected to join Cohort 15 of the Superintendent Leadership Academy, a national program offered by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents. view article

Round Rock ISD Students Shine in Dell IGNITE Internship Program

Ten Round Rock ISD seniors were among the 21 high school students selected to participate in the prestigious Dell IGNITE spring internship program. This paid, 10-week STEM-focused experience was designed to give students real-world exposure to software, electrical, and mechanical engineering. The program, held on the Dell campus in Austin from February to April, welcomed a competitive cohort drawn from Round Rock ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Leander ISD, and local private and charter schools. Of the 74 applicants, 21 were selected, with Round Rock ISD students representing nearly half of the final group. view article

Preventive Law: Hit the Ground Running: Setting Yourself up for Success at the Beginning of a Construction Program

Preventive Law: Tips on Preparing to Testify Under Subpoena

Preventive Law: Spring Break Cometh: Special Education Refresher for Mid-year Transfers

Preventive Law: Being Intellectual About District Property: A Primer on Investing in District IP

Preventive Law: Documentation: A Potential Shield Against Liability

Preventive Law: Water Supply Options for School Facilities -  Exploring Alternative Sources to Address Water Demands for District Projects

Preventive Law: Pause on Paid Leave and Reassignments

Preventive Law: Election Season is Upon Us

Preventive Law: You’ve Been Served… Or Have You?  Avoiding the Pitfalls Associated with Subpoenas

Free medical services to be offered during Operation Border Health /Preparedness

SAN JUAN, Texas – From Monday, July 25, to Saturday, July 30, the Texas Health and Human Services will carry out Operation Border Health/Preparedness (OBHP). OBHP is a program that sets up sites around the Rio Grande Valley, offering residents free health services. Services include general physician services, immunizations, screenings, sport physicals, dental services, vision services, and more. Although assisting the public in maintaining their health is a goal of OBHP, the underlying purpose is to assist the community in preparing for disasters. State Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, said Operation Border Health Preparedness allows state, local, and nonprofit entities to practice setting up and operating health clinics that may be needed in the case of a public health emergency, while providing free care to the community. He said services include medical exams, immunizations for children and adults, sports physicals for students, health and diabetes screenings, and dental and vision exams. “Operation Border Health Preparedness is a great example of a smart policy that not only ensures we are prepared for future public health crises, but also provides an immediate public benefit in the process,” Hinojosa said. view article

Clint Independent School District approves pay raises, $2,500 payments for some employees

The Clint Independent School District on Thursday approved pay raises and a one-time $2,500 payment for qualifying employees during the upcoming school year. view article

After Uvalde school shooting, Texas police wonder how much training is enough — and will it matter?

Police officials and law enforcement experts say there’s no guarantee that officers will follow their training and confront a shooter — no matter how much training they have.  In the weeks since officers in Uvalde waited more than an hour to confront a gunman who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school, police departments across the state have asked themselves a crucial question: If they faced a similar situation, would they be able to quickly stop the gunman?  The images of parents and students pleading with officers to take action at Robb Elementary School on May 24 before a tactical team of federal agents finally breached a classroom and fatally shot the 18-year-old gunman deeply disturbed Marfa police Chief Estevan Marquez. view article

Report: Austin ISD has not met minimum TX exam standards for disabled students in 4 years

The Austin school district has not met minimum state exam standards for students with disabilities in the past four years, according to an independent review of the district’s special education programs. Stetson and Associates, a consulting firm, conducted a review of the Austin school district’s services for students with disabilities starting during the 2019-20 academic year, although the evaluation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a change in leadership at the district. view article

Watch: Dallas ISD softball coach trumpets national anthem before every home game

Who says you can't mix two passions together? For Dallas Independent School District softball Coach Mark Stout, he's done it weekly this season. Stout warms up his team at W.T. White High School every home game and then, for a brief moment, plays the national anthem on the trumpet to get to that exciting umpire line: play ball! He started doing it before games last season. view article

Manor ISD Breaking Ground on New Early College High School

Officials with the Manor Independent School District are celebrating the groundbreaking today of the new Early College High School. “This is a great day in Manor ISD,” said Dr. Andre D. Spencer, Manor ISD Superintendent. “We are breaking ground on a new building for a group of scholars who we expect to break ground academically in their respective fields of interest. We expect great things to come out of this facility and the scholars who will call this home.” view article

Extreme bus driver shortage affects local school district

Across the nation, school districts are having a hard time keeping and hiring bus drivers. One local school district, Comal ISD, is becoming greatly effected. As one of the fastest growing and largest districts in the San Antonio area, the district covers over 500 square miles in five different counties with over 27,000 students attending. view article

Many voting locations throughout Texas did not open because of staff shortages

In some voting locations where a party’s appointed polling judge didn’t show up, election officials allowed the other party’s judge to operate both parties’ voting machines in an effort to keep the polling place running. view article

Mesquite ISD Hiring From Within To Fill Superintendent Spot; Ángel Rivera Is Lone Finalist

The Mesquite ISD Board of Trustees announced its unanimous selection of Dr. Ángel Rivera as the lone finalist for the role of Superintendent of Schools on Monday, Feb. 14. Dr. Rivera currently holds the position of deputy superintendent for the district, which serves nearly 40,000 students. view article

Ysleta ISD sees uptick in COVID-19 related absences following winter break

An increase in COVID-19 cases among children in El Paso is resulting in more absences at some schools. "Last week my child had a light cough so we decided not to take her to school to not expose the other children to her cough," said El Paso ISD parent Guerrero Garcia. view article

BRENHAM ISD ATHLETIC DIRECTOR ELIOT ALLEN ACCEPTS NEW POSITION WITH BASTROP ISD

Brenham ISD Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Eliot Allen has accepted a position with a new school district. Brenham ISD announced this (Thursday) afternoon that Allen has been selected as Director of Athletics for Bastrop ISD. He will begin his new position next week. view article

Cy-Fair ISD board member faces calls to resign after comments about Black teachers, dropout rates

A growing number of Houston-area leaders are calling for the resignation of a Cy-Fair ISD board member after he made comments suggesting that the more Black teachers a district has, the greater the dropout rate. The comments were made Monday night during a work session about Cy-Fair ISD's equity audit report. view article

BRENHAM ISD PARENTS VOICE CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY ON SCHOOL BUSES AMID DRIVER SHORTAGE

Some Brenham ISD parents are concerned about the safety of their children aboard school buses, while the district struggles to find people to drive them. Overcrowding and longer run times for some buses has parents worried and debating whether their children should be using school transportation. One parent, Cassi Harrison, has pulled her three children off after she says her daughter had to sit on the floor of her elementary school bus, which had students from two bus routes. Harrison says the safety of the children needs to be addressed. view article

Lewisville ISD trustees approve 2022-23 academic calendar

The Lewisville ISD board of trustees approved the district's 2022-23 academic calendar, which includes 177 instructional days. The 2022-23 calendar, which was approved during a Jan. 10 board meeting, will have an Aug. 10 start date with exams for the first semester to be completed before winter break, which runs Dec. 19-Jan. 4, 2023, according to the calendar. view article

Richardson ISD Brings Back Mask Mandate as COVID Cases Skyrocket

Saying positive cases of COVID-19 are climbing to "very high rates" in the district, the Richardson ISD says they are once again temporarily implementing a mask requirement for everyone inside K-12 schools. In a letter to parents, the district said active cases of COVID-19 have increased from 49 on Dec. 7 to 1,089 on Jan. 6, an increase of more than 2100%. The previous pandemic-high number of positive cases in RISD was 367 on Sept. 3. view article

Beloved Richardson ISD school resource officer dies from COVID-19

A longtime Lake Highlands High School resource officer has died due to complications from COVID-19, the Lake Highlands Advocate reported. After experiencing breathing difficulties from the illness, Chris Gibson went to a hospital Sunday morning and died shortly after, the report said. Gibson, known as “Gibby,” made a lasting impression on his colleagues and people he knew and worked with in Richardson ISD schools and the Dallas Police Department, according to the report. view article

Fort Worth ISD has plans for infants in school. How does it work in other districts?

Fort Worth ISD is moving forward with plans to establish four early learning centers across the district in areas where affordable, high quality child care is hard to come by after voters narrowly approved a November bond to fund the project along with other improvements. Three other bond measures were defeated in the same election after opposition groups lobbied against them, pointing to the district’s lackluster academic performance and what they called limited information about the bonds in the weeks leading up to the election. view article

Katy ISD blocking websites with critical resources for LGBTQ youth

An online petition created by the 'Students of KATYISD' group is demanding change to allow access to LGBTQ+ resources and websites, including a suicide prevention hotline. Katy ISD student, 17-year-old Cameron Samuels, spoke out at a school board meeting last week and told ABC13 that students cannot access LGBTQ+ youth resources and websites while on the district's internet server. view article

Northwest ISD foundation opens free resource store, library

The Northwest ISD Education Foundation last week held a grand opening event for its new free store and library for teachers to get resources and educational materials for their classrooms. Teachers can “shop” for school and classroom supplies, snack packs, clothing items and books. All items are free to district educators, who will use them in their classrooms to support students, according to a news release from Northwest ISD. view article

WFAA learns about what it takes to be principal for a day with Dallas ISD

When you were in school, did you ever wonder to yourself, "what if I were principal for a day?" On Wednesday, WFAA's Cynthia Izaguirre and our station general manager, Brad Ramsey, got that chance thanks to the Principal for a Day Program (PFAD) with the Dallas Independent School District. The program is meant to help people who don't work in education understand the strengths and challenges Dallas ISD schools face. view article