Latest TexEdNews:

Reported Elsewhere:

Having problems?
Please refresh your browser.

Reported Elsewhere

Where possible, these headlines link to no-paywall or soft paywall articles, or to websites offering free trials. TexEdNews neither condones nor endorses the accuracy of this news feed.

Sept. 22, 2026
Pasadena ISD employees fight proposed insurance switch that could raise monthly premiums by more than $1,800

(KPRC) Pasadena ISD teachers and employees are fighting back against a proposed health insurance change they say could devastate their finances, and some are now seeking a court order to stop the district from voting on the plan Tuesday night. The Pasadena ISD board is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal to switch employees to TRS ActiveCare beginning in January. Some teachers are seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the vote and buy more time to gather information about the proposal before a decision is made. The district says it is spending more on employee health care than the insurance fund is bringing in, prompting the proposed switch.

70 Years After Mansfield’s Desegregation Crisis, a New Debate over Representation

(Texas Observer) The time has come for this North Texas school district, and others like it, to move from an all-at-large board to a mix of geographic districts and at-large seats.

Houston ISD enrollment drops trigger budget cuts, teachers union raises alarms

(KPRC) The Houston Independent School District is facing scrutiny after announcing budget adjustments tied to student enrollment numbers — moves that could mean significant cuts for several campuses. “We are very concerned because getting cuts of that magnitude can lead to employee layoffs, overcrowded classrooms, lack of support and supplies and materials from HISD,” Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson said. The teachers’ union is calling for an independent audit amid the budget cuts.

Inside the rebranding of San Antonio ISD’s Democracy Prep into Unity Prep at Stewart

(San Antonio Report) San Antonio ISD’s Stewart campus on San Antonio’s East Side renamed itself from Democracy Prep to Unity Prep this fall after the New York-based Democracy Prep charter network ended its operations there, handing control to a new local nonprofit led by the same superintendent, Virginia Boyce. The school keeps its old colors, mascot, and uniforms, and its SAISD partnership contract still runs through 2028 under the same terms as the original 2018.

Stop Six parents pushed Fort Worth ISD for safer school routes. Two years later, buses arrived

(Fort Worth Report) Fort Worth ISD added three new school bus stops in the historically Black Stop Six neighborhood, after parent advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth renewed its request for transportation this month. The change followed two years of petitioning by mother Adrienne Haynes, who had watched kids walk unsafely alongside construction near Loop 820 to get to school.

Judson ISD cuts bus routes once considered hazardous, raising safety concerns for families

(KSAT) The district says sidewalks and other improvements mean some routes no longer meet the state’s hazardous-route criteria.

Boyd ISD superintendent denies culture of hazing claims after felony charges against 4 students

(Fox 4 KDFW) Boyd ISD’s school board on Monday met for the first time since four Boyd High School students were arrested and charged with felony injury to a child for a locker room hazing incident. The district’s superintendent says Boyd ISD does not have a culture of hazing, and that he wants the investigation to continue before making any conclusions. Boyd Police are still interviewing witnesses, and said more charges could be forthcoming as the investigation continues.

Fifth and final former Texas Leadership Charter Academy San Angelo coach arrested in student injury lawsuit

(Fox West Texas) Stetson Emfinger was booked on eight felony charges, making him the fifth and final former Texas Leadership Charter Academy San Angelo staff member arrested in the February workout case. The charges stem from allegations that student-athletes were made to complete hundreds of pushups as punishment over several days in February. A civil lawsuit filed by families of students alleges that about 50 athletes took part and that 20 were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition caused by muscle breakdown. The lawsuit identifies Emfinger as a coach who allegedly observed the exercises without intervening.

3 teens charged with sexual assault of child after alleged abuse at Houston private school

(KTRK) Three former students of The Briarwood School in west Houston have been charged with sexual assault of a child following an investigation that began after an April outcry from a 16-year-old student. Charging documents identify two alleged victims aged 14-17, describing repeated incidents in bathrooms, locker rooms, and on team buses during the school year, including being pinned against walls, stripped of towels, and forcibly dragged from a bathroom stall; investigators believe additional victims may not have come forward yet. The accused were removed from campus last spring and barred from returning after the allegations surfaced, and the school says it has cooperated fully with law enforcement.

Former Amarillo and Canyon ISD teacher pleads guilty to child sex charges

(KFDA) A former Amarillo and Canyon ISD teacher has pleaded guilty to indecency with a child sexual contact (rape). 59-year-old Patrick Kenneth Farmer appeared in court Monday with counsel, where he waived jury, confrontation of witnesses and entered a plea of guilty. Farmer taught at Lakeview Elementary in Canyon ISD in 2000 and later became a substitute for Amarillo ISD.

Willis HS to install metal detectors after second gun found on campus this school year; parents demand action

(KPRC) Willis High School will begin screening every student through metal detectors and searching backpacks Tuesday after a second gun was discovered on campus this school year, prompting safety concerns among parents who say they have had enough. The announcement came Monday, Sept. 21, hours after school administrators discovered a gun inside a student’s backpack and took the student into custody.

Mother speaks out after Crowell ISD teacher allegedly misses student’s seizure

(KFDX) A Crowell mother is speaking out after surveillance footage showed her son’s teacher on her phone while her son was having a prolonged seizure in January 2026.

New 2026 Texas college rankings from U.S. News include some notable shakeups. Here’s a look

(Houston Chronicle) Rice University inched up a spot to rank No. 16 among the nation’s “Best Colleges” while the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University fell slightly on the 2027 U.S. News & World Report list.

‘The pressure felt human’: UT Dallas student stands up to AI trying to slip in harmful code

(WFAA) Sinan Can Demir, a UT Dallas computer science junior, flagged harmful code on GitHub — a website where programmers share and fix software — and held firm when two users pushed back. They turned out to be fake personas created by an AI agent.

Fort Worth police, UT Arlington partner on AI-driven de-escalation training

(Fort Worth Report) A collaboration between the Fort Worth Police Department and the University of Texas at Arlington is utilizing virtual reality and artificial intelligence to enhance de-escalation training for police officers. Through a Department of Justice grant called the Virtual Reality De-escalation Site-Based Initiative, the partnership supplements traditional police training role-play with an AI-driven system to provide unpredictable, scalable and safe de-escalation training. 

Texas Tech professor develops motion-based musical instrument for people with disabilities

(KCBD) A Texas Tech School of Music assistant professor has spent 12 years developing an instrument that uses motion sensors instead of traditional keys or strings. Hideki Isoda, an assistant professor of composition, created the device using an accelerometer and gyroscope to track motion.

Texas youth prison lockdown records detail self-harm, delayed care and escalating use of force

(KERA) A child’s assault on a juvenile correctional officer at the Gainesville State Juvenile Correctional Facility in August prompted a days-long lockdown at all five youth prisons across the state. Internal records show the lockdown heightened kids’ troubling behaviors and exacerbated the effects of staff shortages across the agency’s facilities.

New $7.8M Lubbock complex aims to transfer youth sports in West Texas

(Houston Chronicle) For aspiring athletes in West Texas, a new facility is being developed to serve as a one-stop shop for pursuing athletic dreams. Arriving in September 2027, The Forge Athletic Complex aims to become the region’s premier sports facility. According to the Texas Department of Regulation, a new project has been filed to build a 63,000-square-foot indoor arena focused on basketball and volleyball. Construction officially began in July, with an estimated cost of $7.8 million.

‘Mumflation’: Why Texas homecoming mums are costing Houston families more this year

(Fox 26 Houston) High school homecoming “mums” are hitting record prices across Greater Houston, with high-end custom orders topping $500 to $1,500. Lion Ribbon Company, a major domestic supplier, went out of business and liquidated its ribbon operations. Mum-makers are having to raise prices or adapt their creations to keep up with higher material costs.

Click for Earlier
“Reported Elsewhere” Dates

Latest from TexEdNews!

$ = Subscribers Only

TexEdNews Article Archives

$ = Subscribers Only

Commissioner’s Decisions
(Through August 2026)
SY 2025-26
PEIMS Articles: