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TEA Rolls Out New School Safety System: Sentinel
On July 25, Governor Greg Abbott announced the launch of a new school safety system called Sentinel. This new platform-- designed to collect, process, store, and distribute school safety and security information-- is housed within the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and is a part of ongoing school safety and security improvement measures. We have written extensively about House Bill 3...
Read MoreTexas ACLU Finds Dress Codes of 51 School Districts Violate CROWN Act
In 2023, Greg Abbott signed HB 567, also known as the Crown Act, into law to ban hair discrimination in schools and workplaces. Since then, many school districts have altered their dress codes to adjust to the new regulations put in place by the CROWN Act. However, the ACLU of...
Read MoreNEXT WEEK: Texas House Public Education Committee Hearings on Aug. 12-13
Next week, the Texas House Public Education Committee will hold critical hearings on Monday, Aug. 12, and Tuesday, Aug. 13. The committee will discuss key issues shaping public education's future in our state. These hearings provide an opportunity for us to make our voices heard and influence upcoming legislation. What...
Read MoreHorace Mann is giving away $50,000 in prizes to help you get Set for Success for another school year!
Horace Mann is a long-time corporate supporter. Enter their sweepstakes for your chance to be one of 100 lucky winners who will take home a $250* gift card to either Target or Amazon. And if you win a gift card,...
Read MoreUrgent Action: Testify or Submit Public Comments to the House Public Education Committee
Interim committee hearings are an essential part of the Texas legislative process between regular legislative sessions. The Texas House Public Education Committee is holding critical hearings on Monday, Aug. 12, and Tuesday, Aug. 13, on issues that are having or will have a profound impact on the future of public...
Read MoreAFT Convention 2024: Progress Is Possible, Not Guaranteed
Top: AFT convention delegates and guests listen to Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, July 25. Photo by Marco Guajardo, Texas AFT. Bottom: Scenes from the four days of convention programming at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Photos by Mariana Krueger, CCR Studios. This past week, Texas...
Read MoreNew Harris for President merch added to Texas AFT store
The AFT recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president! We’re ready to help elect her, ensuring that public school employees’ voices are heard on the national level and that pro-voucher Republicans are kept out of office. If you’d like to show your support for Harris, you can sport...
Read MoreBillionaires are buying politicians in Texas. What are we going to do about it?
Pennsylvania GOP megadonor Jeff Yass has given another $4 million to Gov. Greg Abbott to boost the governor’s bid to unseat Texas House Republicans who oppose his private school voucher scam. The donation, revealed in July in a campaign finance report, was Yass’ second major contribution to Abbott this election...
Read More“Broken Promises’: A Chronicle of Charter School Failures
Given the recent approvals of four new charter schools by the State Board of Education this summer, we want to revisit the important research that has informed Texas AFT’s continued insistence on a charter school moratorium in this state. First, let’s start with the national education policy think tank...
Read MoreJuly 26, 2024: Cross-Country Solidarity
Friday, July 26, 2024 Cross-Country Solidarity In recent years, it feels like public education in Texas has made headlines for all the wrong reasons: stagnant public school funding, book bans, or the threat of privatization, and more. But this week Texas educators made the front pages of newspapers across the...
Read MoreUrgent Call to Action: Texas House Public Education Committee Hearings on 08/12 and 08/13
The Texas House Public Education Committee is holding critical hearings on Monday, August 12 and Tuesday, August 13 on issues that are having or will have a profound impact on the future of public education in Texas. Perhaps most critically, the committee will consider the implementation of taxpayer-funded private school...
Read MoreAFT Becomes First Union to Endorse Kamala Harris
Thousands of AFT members were energized by a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris on the last day of our 88th biennial national convention this past Thursday. AFT was the first labor union to endorse Vice President Harris after President Joe Biden’s stunning announcement this past Sunday that he would...
Read MoreSBEC Recap: Board Focus on Long-Range Planning and Stakeholder Engagement
The State Board for Educator Certification met in Austin on July 18-19. While this agenda was light on decision making, it was full of portents for future action by this body. Thursday, the SBEC conducted their annual work session. The day was divided into two major areas for discussion: Long-range...
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