Providing stronger mental health services on campus and freeing up school counselors to work with students were among the top school safety measures supported by TCTA members following the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, recent survey results show.

“We need more counselors/mental health individuals to work on our campuses and train staff to be able to identify those individuals that ‘fly under the radar’ and to identify them and get the help that they need before situations like Sandy Hook and now Uvalde happen,” one survey respondent offered.

More than 1,300 TCTA members responded to the survey that focused on different approaches to school safety that are being explored by the Texas Legislature. The results will inform TCTA’s policy suggestions and testimony before legislative committees. (If you have not responded yet, you can take the survey here through Sunday, June 26.)

Speaking at a joint House committee hearing today, Jazmin Cazares of Uvalde talked about her little sister Jackie, who was killed in the shooting. The 9-year-old loved to sing, dance and act and dreamed of going to Paris.

“The people who were supposed to keep her safe at school didn’t. They failed,” said Cazares, who plans to honor Jackie by going to Paris next year after she graduates from high school.

In the Texas Senate, the Special Committee to Protect All Texans — formed in response to the Uvalde shooting — held two days of hearings this week to discuss the school safety, mental health, social media, law enforcement training and firearm safety. Click here to read more.

In response to Senate Bill 168, TEA released two sets of final rules for emergency school drills and active threat exercises that go into effect June 26.

The rules regarding best practices for conducting emergency school drills include stipulating that mandatory school safety drills do not include persons acting as active aggressors or other simulated threats and a list of suggested drill and exercise design elements. The rules also specify the frequency with which each type of drill must occur.

The rules for active threat exercises include requiring that school districts provide and post notice of upcoming exercises at least two weeks prior to the exercise. Schools also must make an audible announcement over the campus public address system to signal the start of the exercise, noting that it is only an exercise and not a real emergency. Click here to read more.

In doing so, the SBOE members sent a strong message to the State Board for Educator Certification about the need to enforce program standards for all educator preparation programs. The vote also suggested that SBEC should take notice when there is such strong opposition from the major education organizations (including TCTA). Click here to read more.

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.

If you've already been serving as a campus FR, please let us know if we can continue to count on you during the 2022-23 school year.

Learn more about the recruitment process and get a preview of this year's campaign materials at our summer training workshops. We have eight in-person and two virtual sessions in July to help local affiliate officers and campus FRs prepare for the the new school year. Register now and join us!

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the state of Maine violated the Constitution when it refused to make public funding available for students to attend schools that provide religious instruction. The opinion states that when state and local governments choose to subsidize private schools, they must allow families to use taxpayer funds to pay for religious schools. Click here to read more.

Texas high school students scored modestly higher on end-of-course STAAR exams in Algebra I, Biology and U.S. History this year, but have not returned to their pre-pandemic levels, according to statewide results released last week by TEA. In the two tests that did not show a negative impact from COVID-19, English I and English II, results stayed largely consistent from last school year.

“These results provide encouraging evidence that the academic recovery plans adopted by the Texas Legislature and implemented by our state’s 370,000 dedicated teachers are working for our students,” Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement. “We have made some progress to date, but there is still work to be done to fully recover from the academic effects of the COVID slide. We’re confident we’ll get there because Texas educators are all-in on helping their students to make the necessary academic gains."

Scores for grades 3-8 are expected to be released next week. Click here to find summary reports from 2021-22 and previous testing years.

Marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX — the federal civil rights law that opened doors for generations of women and girls — the U.S. Department of Education released proposed changes to the regulations that help elementary and secondary schools and colleges and universities implement this legislation. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the proposed amendments will restore protections for students who are victims of sexual harassment, assault and sex-based discrimination and advance educational equity and opportunity. Click here to read more.

The Texas Education Agency's English Learner Support Division is seeking input from educators for the development of TEA’s strategic plan aimed at improving outcomes for the state's 1.1 million emergent bilingual students. Click here to take the survey.

TEA also plans a two-day statewide professional development opportunity on July 28-29 in San Antonio to help educators learn how to strengthen support for emergent bilingual students. Learn more and register here.

TCTA members can save at thousands of participating hotels across the country through our partnerships with Choice Hotels and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, including La Quinta by Wyndham. Click here to get access codes, phone numbers and links to make reservations. Extend your savings by joining Wyndham Rewards or the Choice Privileges program.