Texas Education - Page 4

More woes surfaced in an already troubled Texas school district after an administrator alleged wrongdoing in the special education department where students may have been improperly awarded course credit.

A new voice jumped into the debate over the proposed Texas “Tebow” bill which would allow homeschool students to participate in public school sports and other competitive extracurricular activities — the head of the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA). He opposed the legislation over social media.

A Texas teacher accused of having sexual relations with multiple high school students, admitted to these lascivious improprieties, even divulging she had three-way sex with two teenagers, according to an arrest warrant released on Monday.

In response to Irving, Texas, school trustees saying “no” to declaring their district a “sanctuary,” one area activist reacted by telling high school students to boycott their classes on Thursday and Friday.

The Texas Senate passed school choice legislation, Senate Bill 3, that would establish education savings accounts and tax credit scholarship programs intended to expand K-12 options for children. The bill crossed the finish line in a final vote of 18-13 on Thursday with a few notable changes.

In a seemingly recent wave of twenty-something female teachers in Texas getting busted for having sex with their students, two more now stand accused of crossing the line, this time with middle schoolers.

Annual standardized testing begins in Texas this week and state education officials feel confident that the millions of dollars spent on system improvements and upgrades will prevent the many problems experienced last year when administering the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness also known as the STAAR.

A federal appeals court ruled this week that a north Texas school district can continue its practice of student-led prayer that opens school board meetings.

While President Donald Trump champions “school choice” on a national level and Governor Greg Abbott pledges to sign such a bill into law should one make it to his desk, some Texas homeschoolers question one piece of proposed school choice policy before the Legislature, Senate Bill 3.

Trustees at the Houston Independent School District approved a proposal to retake control over its Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP), the place where middle and high school students all too often wind up after breaking school rules, only to find themselves in the school-to-prison pipeline.

A north Texas high school teacher could face significant time behind bars if found guilty of secretly filming six female students without their knowledge in “various stages of undress.”

While President Donald Trump called upon Congress this week to pass education legislation that funds school choice for low-income students nationwide, Texas House Education Committee Chairman Representative Dan Huberty (R-Kingwood) struck a blow to school choice, declaring it a “dead” issue in the state’s current legislative session.

Some Texas school districts are revisiting their zero tolerance policies to examine how they can better serve their most vulnerable population, students enrolled in pre-Kindergarten through second grade, by banning suspensions and other disciplinary punishments.

As a battle brews between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Legislature over pre-kindergarten funding, the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) board voted Tuesday to keep the federal government’s version of early education, Head Start and continuing 15 of their preschool programs.

The school districts of Dallas and Fort Worth are the latest in Texas to draft “sanctuary” policies, pledging to make their campuses safe spaces for migrant students and their families, even though federal law already protects them in public schools.

Authorities arrested a north Texas teacher and charged him with making a terroristic threat after he allegedly threatened to “burn alive” school district staff if he did not receive a pay raise.

Texas lawmakers met Thursday to begin tackling a troubling epidemic–teacher-student sexual misconduct. They discussed proposed legislation that will crack down on the rampant problem ravaging classrooms across the state.

In a special session held Monday evening, Austin Independent School District trustees voted 9-0 to adopt a sanctuary policy resolution that strives to “create a safe and caring learning environment so as to foster a culture of trust and respect” for all students “regardless of their immigration status or the status of their parents.”

A former high school soccer coach in Texas got 60 days in jail and eight years probation for having sex with a 17-year-old female student.

A random act of kindness made a huge impression on one Texas community when an area couple walked into their local elementary school and paid off the outstanding lunch balances due for their students.

Police arrested a Texas preschool teacher late Monday afternoon following accusations he sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl in the school’s bathroom.

Authorities arrested a north Texas teenager accused of taking part in a hoax bomb threat last week to get out of high school early. Law enforcement agents continue to search for a second suspect believed to be out of state.

Another troubled Texas school district surrendered to the state despite an appeal to thwart its takeover and an investigation that revealed internal mismanagement.

Two lawmakers proposed amending the Texas Constitution to shore up protections for private and home school students from state and local regulations.

The Texas “Tebow bill” is back. Two lawmakers filed bills named for Tim Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy-winning University of Florida football player who was homeschooled but played on his local public school team. While proponents express excitement over a third attempt to pass “Tebow”, homeschoolers voiced concerns over the legislation.

School choice continues to dominate the national education debate and the Texas 2017 legislative session where two more state lawmakers filed bills, this time to pilot tax credit scholarship programs.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed to sign school choice legislation that reaches his desk, loudly signaling he hopes to see a bill from the 85th Legislature.

An estimated 4,000 Texans are expected to rally in Austin today to show their support for expanded school choice during National School Choice Week. They will bring their message to the south steps of the Capitol building.

One Texas lawmaker’s bill, if passed during the 2017 legislative session, stands to derail school choice options for failing campuses by taking them down a progressive community schools path and bypassing existing options that include re-purposing a campus as a public charter school.

Two Texas legislators filed separate bills that would make permanent a 2015 law that provides temporary relief to high school seniors who do not pass all their standardized tests, yet allows them to graduate.

The former Texas middle school teacher who admittedly became pregnant by her 13-year-old student was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 7-2 to permanently suspend using state standardized test scores as a grade promotion and retention yardstick on students in the lower and middle grades.

A Texas border school district ex-administrator pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the federal government for his involvement in a widespread, long-term standardized test cheating scandal.

Trustees at one Texas border school district unanimously passed a resolution to make it a sanctuary for its illegal immigrant students and their families.

An increasing number of Texas school boards are pushing back against the State’s revamped public school accountability system by passing resolutions that call for lawmakers to repeal a new A-F ratings scale.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released its annual Public Education Grant (PEG) List that identifies failing schools across the state. The new list reflected almost a 10 percent decrease from last year’s dismal findings but remains noticeably higher than two years ago.