Latest Contributions

• With school reopening, Gov. Greg Abbott sets off another debate over whether local or state officials are in control

  by Aliyya Swaby and Cassandra Pollock Aug. 7, 2020

  Abbott’s decision to curb the role of local health authorities in school reopening decisions has added to the ongoing conflict between him and local governments during the pandemic, with mayors and judges voicing frustration over having their hands tied by the state’s response. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott says local health officials can shut down schools only in limited circumstances

  by Aliyya Swaby July 31, 2020

  Abbott said local health authorities can't shut down in-person instruction before school starts, but an outbreak on campus once students have arrived could prompt a closure. Full Story 

• Custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers also fear returning to Texas schools

  by Aliyya Swaby July 30, 2020

  Texas schools employ almost as many support staff members as they do teachers, often in hourly or part-time jobs with low pay. The state has offered limited guidance on how to protect them on the job. Full Story 

• Texas schools are being compelled to reopen classrooms on the state's timetable, like it or not

  by Aliyya Swaby and Stacy Fernández Updated: July 29, 2020

  Gov. Greg Abbott has yet to formally announce a definitive plan for reopening Texas schools safely, but two actions Tuesday effectively force districts to have students back in classrooms after eight weeks of the school year's start. Full Story 

• Texas attorney general says local health authorities cannot “indiscriminately” shut down schools

  by Aliyya Swaby July 28, 2020

  After Paxton's guidance, the Texas Education Agency reversed course and announced that the state won't fund schools that remain closed under a local public health mandate. Full Story 

• Texas fifth and eighth graders won't have to pass STAAR test to move on to the next grade

  by Aliyya Swaby Updated: July 27, 2020

  Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that Texas students must take the state standardized test next spring, but fifth and eighth graders can graduate without passing it. Full Story 

• As school reopenings falter, some Texas parents hire private teachers. Others can only afford to cross their fingers.

  by Aliyya Swaby July 23, 2020

  With the safe reopening of schools this fall in doubt, parents with the resources are setting up "learning pods" or seeking other options. But the do-it-yourself approach to education threatens to leave behind students of color and poorer families. Full Story 

• Texas will allow schools to keep classrooms closed longer than previously ordered

  by Aliyya Swaby Updated: July 17, 2020

  Facing backlash from educators, parents and public health officials, the Texas Education Agency is giving schools more time before they must resume teaching students in person and allowing districts hard hit by the coronavirus to seek waivers. Full Story 

• Harris County officials recommend, not mandate, that school districts stay closed to in-person instruction until October

  by Aliyya Swaby Updated: July 21, 2020

  On Tuesday, Tarrant County joined the list of other officials, including those in Dallas, who are mandating delayed school reopening. Full Story 

• Texas officials scramble to provide school reopening guidelines with only weeks of summer left

  by Aliyya Swaby July 15, 2020

  Conflicting mandates pingponging between state and local officials are frustrating many parents, students and teachers trying to plan for a fall semester during a raging pandemic. Full Story 

• Texas classrooms can stay closed this fall without losing state funding if local health officials order it

  by Aliyya Swaby July 15, 2020

  School districts won't lose state funding if they stick with virtual classes this fall because a local health authority has mandated that classrooms remain closed. Full Story 

• Lani Popp defeats Robert Morrow in Texas State Board of Education runoff

  by Aliyya Swaby Updated: July 15, 2020

  Republican leaders had rallied against Morrow, who is known for his jester's hat and his history of racist and sexist comments. Full Story 

• Texas will extend time that schools will be allowed to stay online-only, Gov. Greg Abbott says

  by Aliyya Swaby and Patrick Svitek Updated: July 14, 2020

  Schools had previously been told that they would need to limit online-only instruction to the first three weeks of the school year, or they'd lose state funding. Full Story 

• Texas teachers caught in the middle of political battles over schools reopening

  by Aliyya Swaby and Stacy Fernández July 10, 2020

  Many Texas Education Agency employees are working from home, but the agency is requiring schools to open five days a week for in-person instruction this fall. Teachers say that mandate has grave implications for their health. Full Story 

• Texas parents face a frightening lack of information on coronavirus risks in child care centers

  by Aliyya Swaby July 9, 2020

  State health officials are providing little detailed information on the spread of coronavirus in Texas child care facilities, and experts aren't sure to what extent children spread the virus. Full Story 

• Masks will be mandatory in many Texas schools when they reopen this fall, education agency says

  by Aliyya Swaby July 7, 2020

  The mask requirement doesn't apply to students younger than 10. The Texas Education Agency guidelines also require schools to post coronavirus prevention plans and encourage hand-washing. Full Story 

• Warning of "COVID slide," Texas Education Agency reports 1 in 10 students have disengaged during the pandemic

  by Aliyya Swaby June 30, 2020

  A new statewide report from the TEA shows that more than 600,000 students didn't complete assignments or respond to teacher outreach during the pandemic. Full Story 

• Texans urge state education board to expand sexual education standards and include LGBTQ information

  by Aliyya Swaby June 29, 2020

  More than 200 signed up to speak as the Texas State Board of Education began taking public testimony Monday on its first rewrite of sexual education policies since 1997. Full Story 

• Texas education officials consider changing state’s sex education policy for first time in 23 years

  by Aliyya Swaby June 29, 2020

  A high-tension hearing is expected Monday as the Texas State Board of Education begins considering changes to its statewide policy for health education, including teaching middle schoolers about contraception. Full Story 

• Texas reinstates coronavirus safety rules for child care centers as cases mount

  by Aliyya Swaby June 26, 2020

  Emergency safety measures for day care centers were repealed in mid-June, but are being brought back in the face of "imminent peril." Full Story