FEATURED NEWS
State leaders issue directives to bolster school security as Uvalde survivors share experiences
State leaders have responded to the school shooting in Uvalde with a flurry of directives to state agencies and promises to enact policies to bolster school safety, improve police training and broaden access to mental health care.

But so far, Gov. Greg Abbott has not called a special legislative session to address those issues before the next school year begins in August. Unless Abbott calls a special session, the Texas Legislature won’t convene until January 2023.

Meanwhile, families of the victims as well as survivors have been calling for action in Congress, including an 11-year-old who told her story to a U.S. House committee on Wednesday.

TCTA member Arnulfo Reyes, who was wounded in the shooting, recently talked about his experience with Good Morning America. Reyes sustained serious injuries during the shooting and his sister has established a GoFundMe account to help with his medical expenses.

To prepare for the next school year, Abbott sent a letter directing Education Commissioner Mike Morath to create the position of Chief of School Safety and Security within the Texas Education Agency. 

Abbott directed the Texas School Safety Center to ensure that all school districts are complying with state laws pertaining to campus security, training and preparedness. He also called for “in-person, unannounced, random intruder detection audits” to test access control measures at schools around the state. Click here to read more.
Share your thoughts on school safety with us

As lawmakers discuss policies, TCTA wants to know what measures our members think would help improve school security and keep students and educators safe so we can share your thoughts with state officials.
TCTA calls for state funding boosts for active teacher health care, retiree annuities

TCTA urged lawmakers to consider a permanent solution to rising health care costs for active teachers who have seen their paychecks steadily eroded by increasing premiums and deductibles.

“An ongoing, more permanent solution for unaffordable health insurance is crucial to the teacher shortage. … Educators have paid an increasingly greater share of the total premium directly out of their salaries and the burden on school employees has become staggering,” TCTA’s Pamela McPeters said in testimony before the House Committee on Pensions, Investments and Financial Services on Monday.

The state’s $75 per month contribution to teacher health care hasn’t changed since the inception of the program two decades ago while the costs paid by teachers have gone through the roof. While the state recently chipped in $435 million for TRS-ActiveCare, that infusion of funds is a one-time fix and did not benefit teachers whose districts do not participate in ActiveCare.

McPeters also called on legislators to strike a balance between protecting the fiscal health of the Teacher Retirement System pension fund and providing retirees a much-needed cost-of-living adjustment. She laid out a proposal for a series of “catch-up” increases over time given that retirees have not seen a cost-of-living increase since 2004. Click here to read more.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Parents file suit in dispute over special education services

A child's parents filed a lawsuit following a dispute with their son's school district over special education services. The child was enrolled with the district for kindergarten in the 2018-19 school year. His parents provided the district with a private psychological evaluation that diagnosed the child with autism spectrum disorder, general anxiety disorder, and separation anxiety. 

Based on this evaluation, his parents requested that the district evaluate the child to determine whether he was eligible for special education services for autism. The school district administered a full and individual initial evaluation (FIE) and an evaluation team determined the child did not qualify for services.

Several months later, a different special education team evaluated whether the child was eligible for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. At a Section 504 meeting, the parents requested an independent educational evaluation (IEE) at public expense, which the district denied.

After a special education hearing officer determined that the initial FIE was appropriate, the child's parents filed suit, seeking services, reimbursement for an IEE they obtained, and attorneys' fees and other expenses. District Court dismissed the lawsuit and the parents appealed. Click here to read more.
OTHER NEWS
Ready to take a more active role in TCTA?
Sign up to be a campus faculty representative!

TCTA's Membership Team is seeking more members to serve as campus faculty representatives during the 2022-23 school year. FRs help pass out materials and encourage colleagues to join TCTA. If you'd like to volunteer to help during the upcoming school year, click here to fill out our FR form, then plan to join us at one of our summer training workshops in July to learn more about the recruitment process, including how to earn money our through our Take 2, Make $25 program.
Save the date and join us at a training workshop

TCTA staff members are hitting the road this summer, with eight stops across Texas in July for in-person training workshops to help local affiliate officers and all of our campus faculty representatives gear up for membership recruitment when the 2022-23 school year begins.

Workshop registration will open Monday, June 20!
Click here to see which one of our stops best fits your schedule. We hope to see many of you in person soon, but we also will have two virtual workshops for those not able to attend in person. Please note: These workshops are for members only, so you must be signed in to view the dates on our website.

TEA recently published the following summer learning opportunities offered by its special education technical assistance networks:
 
  • Do you need to learn more about how to implement effective academic, behavioral, or mental health interventions? Check out the training opportunities offered by the Tiered Interventions Using Evidence-Based Research network that provides knowledge and materials to ensure appropriate implementation of multi-tiered system of supports in every school across Texas.
  • Are you looking to increase your knowledge in the area of special education compliance and best practices? Check out the Child Find, Evaluation, and ARD Supports Network or the Student-Centered Transitions Network. Each of these networks houses stand-alone guidance documents, templates, recorded webinars, and asynchronous courses on a variety of compliance and best practice topics. 
  • Could you use some professional development focused on your work with students with autism? Check out the Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism Training network. With 90 online courses and a video library for quick tips on a variety of topics, the network also has guides to help mentors pinpoint the specific training staff may need. 
  • Do you work with students who have significant cognitive disabilities? Then check out the Texas Complex Access Network, a one-stop shop for a variety of resources, online courses, and videos. 
  • Are you looking for some high-quality dyslexia training? Visit TEA's Dyslexia and Related Disorders webpage for information about online courses and other useful resources to meet your needs. 
  • Do you teach students who are visually impaired, blind, deafblind, deaf, or hard of hearing? Visit the Texas Sensory Support Network. There are standalone guidance documents about determining eligibility, opportunities to engage with other professionals in a community of practice and many other resources. 
CALENDAR
CONTENT PUBLISHED JUNE 9, 2022 | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TEXAS CLASSROOM TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
PO BOX 1489 AUSTIN, TX 78767 | 888-879-8282 | TCTA.ORG