Texas schools struggle to stay open as teachers and bus drivers call in sick with COVID-19
School district leaders are desperately trying to fill vacant roles to stay open and some say they have no choice but to close. Full Story
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![Teachers guide students outside of Linder Elementary School in Austin on the first day of classes after the winter break on Jan. 5, 2022.]()
Credit: Miranda Lipton for The Texas Tribune -
A Texas charter school had to remove an anti-racist quote from its website before it could open
After lawmakers passed a law about how racism was to be taught in Texas schools, Essence Preparatory in San Antonio was sent back to the drawing board. Full Story
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![Akeem Brown, the superintendent of Essence Preparatory Charter School in San Antonio. The school, which focuses on an antiracist curriculum, has encountered pushback due to anti-CRT legislation in Texas.]()
Credit: Anthony Francis for Chalkbeat -
Omicron’s swift emergence tests Texas public schools as a new semester begins
Many schools are pushing through with plans for in-person classes despite a surge in COVID-19 cases as they try to reassure parents and students they are prepared to open safely this week. Full Story
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![First-grader Martin Domingos receives a COVID-19 rapid antigen test on Jan. 03, 2022, as he prepares to return to in-person learning at Eastside Early College High School in Austin.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Omicron is surging, but most Texas schools are resuming classes as planned
School officials are putting a greater emphasis on testing, vaccinations and masking to combat the variant’s spread. Full Story
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Texas schools rethink gender-based dress code policies after discrimination claims raise new legal issues
Recent high-profile incidents and lawsuits have led some districts to make their dress code policies more gender- and race-neutral. Full Story
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas storms — actual and political — of 2021
Here are a dozen of my columns from 2021: highlights on the winter storm, redistricting, the state’s finances and on issues that could figure into this next round of elections. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on June 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
The push to ban books in Texas schools spreads to public libraries
Some Texas residents are asking for greater say in what titles appear on public library shelves. Full Story
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![Books on shelves at the Llano Public Library on Dec. 14, 2021. The Commissioners Court for Llano County voted to close the public library to conduct "inventory and catalog" their books after community pushback related to books that some deemed offensive. The pushback also led to a decision to immediately shut down an online library of thousands of books out of fears that children could access material not appropriate for children.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
After governor’s veto, parents now must opt-in for students to learn about dating violence, child abuse
Advocates are worried that a last-minute law change means that students who need information about dating violence and child abuse will be the least likely to receive it. Full Story
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![Students arrived at Morehead Middle School in El Paso on Aug. 19, 2021.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Some Texas lawmakers are worried about the wrong reading problem
Some Texas Republicans are busy raising questions about what's in the books in the state's public school libraries. The real problem isn't in the books. Full Story
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![The library at Blanco Vista Elementary in San Marcos on Nov. 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Death threats and doxxing: The outcomes of mask mandate and critical race theory fights at a Texas school board
The fight over race and how to deal with the pandemic has split the Fort Worth community, showcasing what’s being seen across the state and country. Full Story
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![Roxanne Martinez, District 9 trustee on the Fort Worth Board of Education, was elected to the position in June of this year. Dec. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Houston-area school district drops gender-based policy on long hair
The change comes after Magnolia ISD was sued by six boys and a nonbinary student for alleged discrimination. Full Story
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![Danielle Miller hugs her child as the family prepares for school in their home in Magnolia on Oct. 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas education officials investigating whether Keller school district has books with sexually explicit content
The district appears to be the first one to be investigated since Republicans started raising questions in October about content in public school libraries. Full Story
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![The library at Blanco Vista Elementary in San Marcos on Nov. 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas' multibillion-dollar corporate tax incentive program is slated to end in 2022. Will state officials let it die?
Critics of the Chapter 313 corporate tax incentive program say it lacks accountability and is burdensome to taxpayers in the state. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott shakes hands with Samsung CEO and Vice Chairman Ki Nam Kim at an economic announcement at the Texas Governor's Mansion on Nov. 23, 2021, in Austin. Greg Abbott was joined by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Samsung CEO and Vice Chairman Ki Nam Kim to announce a new $17 billion chip plant in Taylor, the third such plant in the area.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
As critical race theory and mask mandate debates heat up, Texas GOP takes aim at local school board and municipal races
The Republican Party of Texas announced Monday it had launched a new Local Government Committee to work with county parties on backing candidates for nonpartisan local offices. Full Story
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![The Carroll ISD Administration Building is photographed in Southlake, TX on November 18, 2021. The U.S. Department of Education has opened three investigations into allegations of racial and gender discrimination at Carroll Independent School District.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
San Antonio-area school district reviews 400 books flagged by a Texas lawmaker’s inquiry
North East ISD, one of the largest districts in the state, appears to be the first one to respond to state Rep. Matt Krause’s investigation into the kinds of books held in school libraries. Full Story
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Republican bill that limits how race, slavery and history are taught in Texas schools becomes law
The so-called “critical race theory” law prohibits teachers from discussing “a widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs.” Full Story
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![Students walk between classes at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on August 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Austin ISD superintendent says she won’t be “bullied” over mask mandates, social studies curriculum
As state officials pressure schools on books and coronavirus measures, Stephanie Elizalde says her district will do what’s in students’ “best interests.” Full Story
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The pandemic has undone years of educational gains in Texas schools. Here’s what the road to recovery looks like.
Gaps in student learning because of pandemic disruptions could impact students in the long term. Full Story
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![Isabel Suarez works on homework at her home in Pflugerville. Dec 9, 2020.]()
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Longtime state Sen. Larry Taylor, best known for his work on education issues, says he won't run for reelection
Taylor was a key player in the 2019 school finance overhaul that lawmakers passed. Full Story
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![State Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, addresses Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, on the Senate floor on May 6, 2019.]()
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Republican state Rep. Matt Krause drops out of attorney general’s race to run for Tarrant County district attorney
Krause had been among the primary challengers to Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal problems have made him a target for both parties next year. Full Story
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![State Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, on the House floor on Aug. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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