The end of the school year should be a time for celebration. Instead we are in mourning, hearts broken by the tragic shooting Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde CISD that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

Each day we learn more about the victims and what happened inside the school from survivors and their families. (You can find the latest news here.) There are no words to make this better, but we have reached out to our members in Uvalde to offer support. For now, the TCTA Executive Board has approved a $5,000 contribution to Uvalde CISD's Robb School Memorial Fund in honor of the educators and students.

TRS-Active Care has made resources available to all teachers in Uvalde CISD and surrounding communities to help them get the immediate and long-term care they need. University Health also set up the Uvalde Victims Relief Fund to help cover unpaid medical expenses, lodging, food and other needs identified by social workers providing counseling and other services to the community. From blood drives to financial donations, here are ways you can help support the Uvalde community in the days and weeks ahead.

Last week, TEA added 24 teachers to its Teacher Vacancy Task Force, ensuring representation from each of the state's 20 education service regions. Among them are TCTA members Sadie Atha of East Chambers ISD and Valerie Haywood of Bastrop ISD. The task force will meet June 2 to begin identifying solutions to address ongoing school staffing challenges. Click here to read more.

As the task force prepares to make recommendations for regulatory and policy changes, many districts are already increasing pay and offering incentives to recruit and retain teachers and other personnel. TCTA's Holly Eaton recently spoke with KVUE News in Austin, saying "The shortage is such a crisis right now that I think it's finally driven a lot of districts to focus now on the need to actually retain the teachers that they get into the classroom and keep them there." You can watch the report here.

TCTA provided testimony Tuesday to the Senate Education Committee and House Public Education Committee on their interim charges relating to the educator talent pipeline and monitoring the implementation of HB 3 (2019 session) and HB 4545.

TCTA focused on the many obstacles facing teachers and the need for increased compensation and improved working conditions, and urged lawmakers to continue refining the reading academy and HB 4545 accelerated instruction/tutoring programs in the upcoming legislative session to reduce the burdens on teachers and mandate that teachers be paid for any additional required time. Click here to read TCTA's testimony.

A company sued a school district for trademark infringement, claiming its "million-word" reading program contained identical requirements to the company's program. The district court dismissed the lawsuit and the company appealed. The Court of Appeals noted that in order to prove trademark infringement, the mark holder must prove that the challenged product or service "creates a likelihood of confusion in the minds of potential consumers as to the source, affiliation or sponsorship" between the infringer's product and the trademarked product. If no confusion is likely to occur, there is no grounds for trademark infringement. Click here to read more.

Texas public schools cannot withhold students’ health information from parents, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a non-binding opinion that was released last week. It comes after a state legislator expressed concerns that some school officials suggested to staff that student confidentiality should be respected, such as if a student identifies as transgender or nonbinary.

Paxton’s opinion links to a document from the Texas Association of School Boards that addresses many legal issues related to transgender students, including guidance on how to proceed if a student requests that an educator not tell their parent about their gender identity. Click here to read more.

Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said it “treats all reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation seriously and will continue to investigate each to the full extent of the law.” The statement implies that the agency’s investigations into families of transgender children will continue after the Texas Supreme Court overturned an injunction by a lower court that had temporarily blocked investigations of alleged child abuse by the parents of transgender children. Click here to read more.

Enrollment in TCTA for the 2022-23 school year is underway. Renew your membership and invite your colleagues to join TCTA before the current school year ends. Professional liability insurance coverage and attorney access for new members begins Aug. 1, but those who join now will get immediate access to TCTA's discount programs, free online CPE, award-winning publications and the members-only videos and resources on our website. Click here to join or renew today!