Police officers, oil and gas pipeline inspectors, news photographers, and movie producers may now all have access to drone footage under certain conditions in language added to legislation banning the use of unmanned aerial vehicles as it passed the Texas Senate.
Morgan Smith
Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality.
In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas.
A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas House Backs Bill Expanding Charter Schools
UPDATED: A measure targeting a Turkish charter school network was added to major legislation from Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick that would increase the number of publicly funded, privately operated schools as it passed the Texas House on Thursday, 105-34.
Posted in
Health care
House Backs Bill to Protect Medicaid Providers’ Rights
Medicaid providers would have clearer due process rights during fraud investigations under a measure the House gave tentative approval to on Wednesday.
Posted inState Government
Interactive: Tracking Education Reform Bills
At the start of the legislative session, bills that would strengthen the state’s charter school system, overhaul teaching requirements and address accountability for underperforming school districts were a top priority for many advocacy groups and some lawmakers. Use our interactive to track their progress.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
House Sends Campaign Disclosure Bill to Perry
UPDATED: A divisive measure requiring the disclosure of certain unreported political donors passed the House on a 95-52 vote on Tuesday with little of Monday’s debate. The measure now heads to Gov. Rick Perry.
Posted in
Public Education
In Education Reform Debate, One Group Standing Out This Session
Raise Your Hand Texas has been a key player this session, impacting bills like Sen. Dan Patrick’s charter school legislation. The advocacy organization’s influence in policy negotiations has won it both respect and exasperation in education circles.
Posted in
Public Education
Judge: High School Cheerleaders Can Display Religious Messages
A state district judge ruled Wednesday in favor of cheerleaders at an East Texas high school in their national headline-grabbing lawsuit to display religious messages during athletic events.
Posted in
Public Education
With Bill Pending, School Choice Supporters Rally
As major charter school legislation awaits consideration in the House, school choice supporters gathered at a Capitol rally to hear from several lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston.
Posted in
Public Education
Senate’s High School Graduation Measure Differs From House Plan
The Senate version of House Bill 5, which it approved Monday, still allows students to complete diplomas in specialized areas, or “endorsements.” But it changes the courses required to graduate under those endorsements.
Posted in
Public Education
Efforts to Reform Teacher Evaluations Hit Snag
Some critics of Texas’ largely subjective state teacher evaluations want them to include more emphasis on measures of student performance like standardized exams. But with support among lawmakers to scale back testing, those efforts have hit a roadblock.
