TEA announced new resources to support school districts in the transition to online state summative assessments in the 2022-23 school year, including a guide with criteria for successful implementation.

Among the criteria in the guide are several items aimed at supporting teachers during the transition, including involving teachers in the planning process. Before test administration, the guide recommends that teachers have the chance to give feedback and proactively troubleshoot issues for online testing for their classroom as well as offer feedback on testing logistics and the environment after test administration. Click here to read more.

Join Dohn Larson, TCTA's director of legal services, and staff attorneys Michael Currie, Gerald Francisco and Julie Leahy for an overview of the grievance process in our next Spotlight Session: Anatomy of a Grievance Part 2 at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16. This one-hour session picks up from Part 1 to explain how the grievance process works. Click here to register.

If you missed Part 1 on Oct. 12, which focused on ways to handle stressful situations at school, click here to watch it now.

Are you a teacher with experience leading classroom conversations about controversial political or social issues? We’d like to talk to you for an article on the "critical race theory" legislation in the upcoming winter issue of The Classroom Teacher. Please email communications@tcta.org by Nov. 15.

Bookshelves in school libraries and classrooms are facing heightened scrutiny after a member of the Texas House, Rep. Matt Krause, asked a number of districts to identify certain types of books on their campuses primarily related to race and sexuality issues. The political controversy has many Texas teachers questioning what books they can and can’t make available to students.

The bottom line is that nothing in state law has changed regarding books, despite what some lawmakers have suggested. Senate Bill 3, which goes into effect Dec. 2 and replaces House Bill 3979, focused on classroom discussions around a “widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs” and is silent about books. The representative’s recent letter also directs districts to identify books that “might make students students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex,” referencing language that was in HB 3979 but was subsequently struck by SB 3 and will not be in effect after Dec. 2.

That said, even if the law hasn’t changed, the political landscape certainly has, so teachers need to make sure they follow all local policies for inclusion of books in classroom libraries and keep documentation showing they have approval where it is needed. Members with questions should call TCTA's legal department at 888-879-8282 to speak with a staff attorney.

A superintendent was sued following a dispute over fundraising efforts to purchase animals at a FFA livestock auction. He requested that the lawsuit be dismissed, arguing that he was immune from suit because he was acting in his role as superintendent with respect to the fundraiser.

The lawsuit was filed by an individual who stated that he was under the impression that the superintendent had spoken to AT&T about contributing funds to the auction. The man placed a bid for $10,476.44, expecting AT&T's donation to cover it. After AT&T denied the funding request, the man sued the superintendent. Click here to read more.

TCTA Staff Attorneys Gerald Francisco and Julie Leahy provided an overview of the law and answered questions about planning and preparation time and extra duties in our first Tuesdays with TCTA session. If you missed the session, or want to watch again, click here for the replay.

Mark your calendars and join Dohn Larson and Michael Currie at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, for a 30-minute session on student discipline. They'll review the law and answer questions. Click here to register and submit questions.

Have questions that can't wait? Members can call our Legal Department at 888-879-8282 to discuss your situation with a staff attorney.

Nearly 2.9 million children in Texas are now eligible for Pfizer's low-dose COVID-19 vaccine. The CDC cleared the way for shots to begin this week in children age 5 to 11 after the FDA issued emergency-use authorization last week. Children will get a lower dose than adults in a series of two shots administered three weeks apart. As of Nov. 1, 53.2% of Texans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Biden administration is giving businesses that employ more than 100 workers until Jan. 4 to comply with an executive order that requires employees to be fully vaccinated. Those who refuse vaccination must wear masks and provide a negative COVID-19 test weekly. Read more here.

Find the latest guidance in TCTA's COVID-19 FAQs for 2021-22. Members with questions or concerns about their district's pandemic policies should call 888-879-8282 to speak with a staff attorney.

Though the U.S. Department of Education announced a temporary expansion of a popular debt-relief program for teachers and other public servants in early October, the contractors charged with guiding borrowers are still awaiting guidance themselves.

The insufficient guidance from USDE could slow the time-sensitive initiative, create confusion and further erode public trust in a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program that has been riddled with problems, the Washington Post reported last week. NPR reported today that the delayed guidance has caused some applications to be rejected, even though the borrowers qualify under the new terms of the program. Click here to read more.

USDE said the new procedures for the PSLF program will be rolled out over the next several months, and borrowers have until Oct. 31, 2022, to apply.

It's not too late to encourage your colleagues to join TCTA. Give them your member number and ask them to include it in the Take 2, Make $25 box on the application. You can earn $25 for every two eligible First-Time Active members who join by Dec. 31. Find all the details at tcta.org/take2.