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Reported Elsewhere

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May 2, 2025
Legislative Update:
How Greg Abbott took a flailing school voucher movement and turned it into a winning issue

(Texas Tribune) Abbott tapped into a powerful national conservative movement and his own campaign war chest to turn legislative races into multimillion-dollar affairs. Related:

House Leadership Blocking Ban on Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying, Says Texas Lawmaker

(Texas Scorecard) State Rep. Brent Money says State Affairs Committee Chair Ken King won’t give the legislation a hearing.

1.8 million Texans could lose current health insurance provider if state lawmakers don’t act

(CBS Texas) In March 2024, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced plans to drop the Cook Children’s nonprofit Health Plan, along with Texas Children’s and Driscoll Children’s plans, and award Medicaid contracts to several national, for-profit insurance companies instead. If lawmakers don’t act, Cook Children’s says 1.8 million children and pregnant women across Texas would be forced to change health insurance plans. That includes 125,000 North Texas children who are currently on the Cook Children’s Health Plan.

Also Reported:
‘It’s disgusting’ — Uvalde families confront heartbreak after Robb memorial vandalized just weeks before anniversary

(KENS) A resident on their morning walk Thursday morning discovered vandals rearranged and damaged memorial crosses honoring Robb Elementary victims.

Exclusive: How Texas’ ‘disability penalty’ has stripped billions from schools

(Houston Chronicle) Every year, hundreds of thousands of Texas students with disabilities leave their classrooms to receive specialized help, from weekly speech therapy to daily, hours-long one-on-one tutoring. State education officials are required by law to scale back regular classroom funding they send districts for the amount of time a student receives special services, reducing school funding by more than $1 billion. But for decades, the Texas Education Agency has sidestepped the law, instead implementing across-the-board cuts that strip districts of an extra $342 million each year, according to an analysis provided by TEA in response to questions from Hearst Newspapers. Related:

U.S. Supreme Court divided over approving first religious charter school 

(SCOTUSblog) The Supreme Court on Wednesday was divided over an Oklahoma Catholic virtual charter school’s bid to become the country’s first religious charter school. With Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused from the case, the outcome appeared to hinge on the vote of Chief Justice John Roberts, who asked probing questions of both sides but did not make his position clear.

From minimal English to class valedictorian: Half of top HISD grads start as English learners

(Houston Landing) Students who were current or former English learners have made up about 46 percent of all HISD valedictorians over the past 10 years, while accounting for about 44 percent of all the high school seniors during that span, district data show. Related:

AI is running the classroom at this Texas school, and students say ‘it’s awesome’

(Fox News) At this school, students spend two hours with AI tutors, skip homework, and still land in the top 2% nationwide. Alpha currently operates campuses in Austin, Brownsville, and Miami, serving students from Pre-K through high school.

Marlin, Texas mayor issues declaration of disaster; school district cancels classes Friday as water woes continue

(KWTX) Marlin ISD has canceled classes for Friday, May 2, after the city of Marlin’s water woes continue. Marlin ISD previously canceled classes on April 30 and May 1 after the water went out at the elementary and middle schools. Students at Marlin ISD have lost two weeks in the classroom for the 2024-2025 school year due to city-wide water pressure issues that force the district to cancel class.

Texas A&M young conservatives shared hate speech in group texts

(Houston Chornicle) The Aggie group mocked George Floyd, Muslims, and transgender people.

Mom claims Hays CISD could have done more to prevent child endangerment

(Hays Free Press) After discovering that her son’s former teacher was arrested for public intoxication at school, Christina Nichols was left wishing Hays CISD did more to protect future students.

‘Ridiculous they haven’t found somebody’: Near San Antonio ISD’s Brewer Academy, parents demand action after 14-year-old Simon Cuevas’ killing

(KENS) More than two weeks after 14-year-old Simon Cuevas was killed while walking home from school in west San Antonio, a memorial has bloomed on a street corner near where he was shot. Brewer Academy administrators suggested students could be considered truant if they walked out of school for the rally. Instead, parents marched for them.

Community leaders call for change after Northside ISD student arrest

(News4SA) An incident at a Northside ISD middle school resulted in an 11-year-old with autism behind bars for 8 days. Community leaders are asking authorities to change their approach to these cases. That message, addressed to administrators at Northside ISD after an 11-year-old autistic student was arrested and charged with aggravated assault last Monday. He reportedly had an episode and injured a teacher, who pressed charges. We reached out to Northside ISD and were told the teacher was within her right to do so.

Beaumont school district to restrict student cellphone use with Yondr pouches

(KFDM) The Beaumont Independent School District (BISD) is set to implement a new policy requiring students from sixth grade through high school to lock their cellphones in Yondr pouches during the school day, beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year. Yondr Pouch is a lockable pouch designed to store mobile cellular devices. BISD has allocated $250,000 to provide these pouches, which have already been successfully used in other districts.

Nonprofit AT LAST! expands Oak Cliff “boarding experience” for more “under-resourced” students

(CBS Texas) AT LAST! may have been a long time coming, but the Oak Cliff-based nonprofit is going places. The nation’s first “boarding experience” for under-resourced students is expanding. They’ve announced plans to build a second house to accommodate more scholars. Students—called “Scholars in Residence” — attend the schools their parents choose and live on the AT LAST! campus during the week. While there, they get structure: good meals, academic support, exposure to extracurricular interests, and routine bedtimes—resources considered normal for America’s middle class.

Most AP exams will be digital this May. Here’s how a Fort Worth teacher is preparing students

(Fort Worth Report) Travis Arnold, an AP teacher at Fort Worth ISD’s Arlington Heights High School, said he’s been adjusting his teaching to train for the digital test. Part of that is learning some of the software tools and getting students comfortable with typing on a keyboard since many of his students have been using tablets and smartphones.

Edinburg CISD relocates remaining Canterbury students amid E. Coli clean-up efforts

(ValleyCentral) After plenty of backlash from parents, Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District has decided to relocate the remaining students at Canterbury Elementary School to the Edinburg Recreation Center for the remainder of the year.

A&M’s Public Policy Scholars program kicks off with success

(Battalion) Texas A&M University System has expanded its policy internship programs to all 11 campuses.

Four UT students sue university over arrests during 2024 pro-Palestine protest

(CBS Austin) Four University of Texas students are suing the university, the board of regents, former UT president Jay Hartzell, Governor Greg Abbott, and UTPD and DPS, a little more than a year after they were arrested in the pro-Palestine protests on campus. The lawsuit centers on arrests made in the protest on April 24th of last year, saying the four students named were arrested and then faced academic discipline and retaliation for exercising their First Amendment rights. I talked to co-counsel on the case, who says they were targeted for their support of Palestine specifically.

University of North Texas ELEVAR program set to graduate its first class of students

(NBC DFW) UNT ELEVAR is a 4-year inclusive university program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Dallas College students hope to build industry of the future as NVIDIA plant comes to Dallas

(NBC DFW) The chipmaker is investing in Dallas as part of its domestic AI systems manufacturing rollout.

Texas A&M-Fort Worth will house lab to develop new aviation technologies

(Fort Worth Report) The new center will draw on aviation technology in the DFW area to help develop drones, air taxis and aircraft faster than the speed of sound.

Former Abilene Preschool Teacher Sentenced to 30 Years for Producing Child Porn

(Texas Scorecard) Mark Eichorn admitted to paying two boys to produce child sexual abuse material. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, Mark Penfield Eichorn admitted to producing child sexual abuse material while employed at St. John’s Episcopal School in Abilene.

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UIL Seeks to Hire Athletics “Program Administrator”

UT Austin has posted a job opening for the position of “program administrator” for the UIL, with duties including administering athletic sports as assigned by the league. Minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree,…
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