With more students going back to classrooms and no more statewide mask mandate, nurses say their jobs are set to become even more challenging.
Aliyya Swaby
Aliyya Swaby was the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where she worked from 2016 to 2021. Previously she worked at the hyperlocal nonprofit New Haven Independent, where she covered education, zoning and transit for two years. After graduating from Yale University in 2013, she spent a year freelance reporting in Panama on social issues affecting black Panamanian communities. She was an Education Writers Association finalist in 2017 for beat reporting and a Livingston Awards finalist in 2019 for a series on school desegregation.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas schools won’t lose state funding this academic year for coronavirus attendance declines
School districts must keep or increase the rate of students learning in person in order to avoid losing funds, Gov. Greg Abbott and education officials announced Thursday.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas teachers, child care workers now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine
The change in eligibility comes the day after the Biden administration urged all states to prioritize teachers.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas school boards don’t have to require masks, education officials announce
With Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide mask mandate ending next week, some school districts are likely to face contentious discussions about whether to continue requiring masks in schools.
Posted in
Public Education
Caught by surprise, Texas education officials unsure how end of mask mandate will affect schools
Some superintendents say they will continue requiring students and staff to wear masks as they await further guidance from the Texas Education Agency.
Posted in
Winter Storm 2021
Texas schools still tallying storm costs, and some won’t reopen soon
School districts report flooded classrooms and gyms, and teachers have lost supplies and learning materials. The damage is further disrupting a school year already upended by the pandemic.
Posted in
Winter Storm 2021
Texas students slammed again as storm scrambles already chaotic school year
The pandemic had already destabilized parents, teachers and students. Now the winter storm’s damage to buildings is preventing schools from even serving as lifelines for students in need of shelter and food.
Posted in
Public Education
Many Texas students can skip STAAR tests this year, but high schoolers might have to show up to graduate
There will be few consequences if parents worried about the health risks of in-person testing keep their elementary and middle school students in virtual learning at home. But high schoolers still must pass certain exams to graduate.
Posted in
Public Education
There aren’t enough substitute teachers to step in when coronavirus keeps Texas teachers out of the classroom
Administrators, school staff and uncredentialed stand-ins are being sent into classrooms to cover for teachers who fall ill or have to isolate. But even those improvisations aren’t keeping classrooms fully staffed.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Republicans want to keep transgender women out of women’s school sports teams
Lawmakers have filed legislation that would ban transgender girls and women who attend public K-12 schools, colleges and universities from playing on single-sex sports teams designated for girls and women.