The latest Texas Education Agency news from The Texas Tribune.
On Wednesday, TEA officials confirmed that school districts wouldn't be penalized for barring students on campuses if local health officials mandated that schools stay closed, as long as remote instruction is offered. Full Story
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Texas government is going in two directions at once, with Gov. Greg Abbott blowing a whistle on rising COVID-19 numbers while top education officials detail plans to open public schools for in-person classes this fall. Full Story
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Texas education officials delayed an expected announcement of school reopening guidelines Tuesday, but a draft plan shows the state taking a light-handed role in coronavirus prevention measures. Masks and distancing are recommended but not mandatory. Full Story
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State officials announced yesterday that students will return to public schools come fall, but provided few details. Almost three-fourths of parents surveyed in one district say they won't send their children back if it seems unsafe. Full Story
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Abbott notified lawmakers of the plan during a conference call Thursday. Full Story
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Coronavirus is a risk for his students, Premont ISD Superintendent Steve VanMatre says, but so is seeing their educations stop cold. He's trying to safely address both while getting kids back in front of teachers. Full Story
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Daily temperature checks and supervised hand-washing are some of the safety rules for schools that decide to hold in-person classes this summer, under new guidance from the Texas Education Agency. Full Story
School districts can keep their ceremonies virtual, celebrate seniors while they drive in a procession, knit pictures of individual seniors into a graduation video or host a socially distanced outdoor ceremony, said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. Full Story
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It's way too early to know how COVID-19 cases will trend over the next few months, but school leaders are trying to draw up preliminary plans for bringing students back to classrooms. Full Story
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Doctors and health experts say it isn't safe to let students go back to their schools, the governor said at a news conference announcing executive orders intended to slowly reopen the Texas economy. Full Story
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Before the coronavirus pandemic, Texas schools were already failing many students with disabilities. School closings have made the job tougher and forced many parents to become amateur special ed teachers. Full Story
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With schools closed statewide to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, hourly workers like custodians and bus drivers worry how long their paychecks will keep coming. Substitute teachers aren't finding paid work at all. Full Story
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Federal officials had previously approved a waiver allowing school districts to hand out curbside breakfasts and lunches to parents who show up. Now districts have more flexibility on how and what they feed students in free and reduced-price meals while schools are temporarily closed statewide. Full Story
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The state standardized test, taken in third through 12th grade, determines whether students can graduate or move on to the next grade and whether schools can stay open. Full Story
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Lower-income households are being hit the hardest by school closings as parents try to hang on to jobs and care for their children. Districts are cobbling together ways to keep their educations on track. Full Story