More than 30K school voucher applications were submitted last week on the first day of the state’s new program to give families taxpayer-funded accounts for private school tuition and homeschooling expenses, the Houston Chronicle reported. The applications will be accepted until March 17 and are not first-come, first-served.

The Legislature provided $1 billion in funding for the program’s first year, which is projected to support up to 100,000 accounts. If it receives more applications than can be funded, an income-and disability-based lottery will be held to determine which families receive vouchers.

“When parents have more options, students have more opportunity — and that’s a win for Texas,” acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said in a news release.

Officially called Texas Education Freedom Accounts, the program is being administered by the state comptroller’s office and Odyssey, a New York-based tech contractor.

School walkouts could trigger TEA probes

A rash of student walkouts in Texas to protest the ongoing ICE crackdown in Minnesota has prompted the Texas Education Agency to warn school districts they could face investigations and possible loss of funding, The Dallas Morning News reported. In a letter sent last week to school districts, the agency warned that students must be marked as absent, with schools risking loss of daily attendance funding. It stated that teachers or school systems who “facilitate walkouts” will be subject to investigation and sanction.

After thousands of students from 14 campuses in the Austin ISD left class to protest ICE activity, Greg Abbott called on Education Commissioner Mike Morath to investigate.

“AISD gets taxpayer dollars to teach the subjects required by the state, not to help students skip school to protest,” he wrote on X. “Our schools are for educating our children, not political indoctrination.”

Besides Austin, several school districts in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area experienced student walkouts. Organizers pointed out that protests are protected speech, with the harshest consequence being an unexcused absence.

State back in court soon over no AC in prisons

Texas will soon return to federal court to defend not providing air conditioning in many of its prisons, according to the Texas Standard. The plaintiffs include advocacy groups and incarcerated individuals, who claim that the heat levels in un-air-conditioned prisons constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice argues that the prison system needs more funding and resources. Two-thirds of the state’s 103 prison facilities lack air conditioning in cell blocks and dorms. Temperatures inside those prisons often rise above 90 degrees, according to readings now required by law. 

“There is no mitigation measure other than air conditioning that can protect people from death or sickness due to the heat,” attorney Erica Grossman said. “People living in Texas prisons should not be subjected to conditions we won’t even subject animals to.”

County jails are required to keep temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees. Animal shelters also have heat rules.

Measles cases reported in Dilley immigrant center, West Texas

Two detainees at the family immigration center in Dilley, 70 miles south of San Antonio, have “active measles infections,” federal and state officials said. The Texas Tribune reported some migrants have been quarantined at the nation’s only family detention center. More than 1,400 people are being held at the facility.

A DHS spokesperson said medical officials were monitoring detainees and taking “appropriate and active steps to prevent further infection.”

The Texas Department of State Health Services is collaborating with DHS to determine the number of vaccine doses needed for the Dilley facility. DSHS has also reported three confirmed measles cases in Reeves and Ward counties among non-Texas residents who spent time there. 

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease spread through coughing, sneezing or simply being near an infected person. The MMR vaccine is considered the most effective way to prevent measles.

TEA hires inspector general to investigate teachers

The Texas Education Agency announced last week that it has hired an inspector general to oversee the agency’s growing number of investigations into the conduct of Texas teachers, the Chronicle reported. Levi Fuller, a former chief of staff to state Rep. Andy Hopper, R-Decatur.

“With more than a decade of experience holding bad actors accountable, Levi will help root out the flawed few that sew distrust among families and school communities while helping to restore confidence in the teaching profession,” Education Commissioner Mike Morath said.

TEA investigations can result in teachers being placed on the “Do Not Hire” list, dismissal, or suspension of teaching licenses. The most serious cases are vetted by the State Board of Educator Certification.

RRC completes digitization of 100M records

The Texas Railroad Commission recently surpassed digitizing more than 100 million oil and gas records, making nearly a century’s worth of documents available online.

“Digitizing 100 million records represents a significant achievement in the Railroad Commission’s ability to better serve Texans, streamlining access to our vast library of files and continuing to expand our modernization efforts,” said Wei Wang, Executive Director of the RRC.

Digitized records are available on the RRC’s website at https://tinyurl.com/yh4e6bf5

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