The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments.

• New laws take effect Sept. 1, including prohibition on anonymous reports of child abuse
• SBOE meets in Austin to discuss implementing new laws and more
• Paxton impeachment trial begins Tuesday
• Texas Monthly and WaPo articles offer insight into current public education climate
• ATPE state office closed for Labor Day

NEW LAWS TAKE EFFECT: Hundreds of new laws passed by the 88th Legislature take effect Friday, Sept. 1. Of special note for Texas educators is a revision to the Texas Family Code’s child abuse reporting law that prohibits the Department of Family and Protective Services from accepting anonymous reports. It is important for educators to understand their duties as mandated reporters, and this revision does not affect those duties. Individuals who hold a state professional license, including educators, have a mandatory duty to make a report of child abuse or neglect within 48 hours of having a reasonable suspicion that it is occurring. The revision simply prohibits reports of abuse to be made anonymously by any party. Learn more in this blog post from the ATPE Member Legal Services Department. This Texas Tribune article by Brian Lopez rounds up other new education laws.

SBOE: The State Board of Education (SBOE) met this week in Austin, and ATPE Senior Lobbyist Mark Wiggins has been covering the action in multiple blog posts.

• On Tuesday, Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath and staff walked SBOE members through changes required under House Bill (HB) 1605 passed in 2023. The bill incentivizes school districts to require the use of prepackaged curriculum developed by the agency. Also, under HB 1605, the instructional materials review and approval (IMRA) process replaces the board’s traditional proclamations process moving forward. Learn more in this recap.
• Morath’s regular update to SBOE members Wednesday covered the latest STAAR scores and changes to the A-F accountability system. Board members also questioned the commissioner about changes in Houston ISD; news reports about PragerU, a video series produced by a Republican social media personality; and the role of chaplains in public schools.
• An SBOE committee offered preliminary feedback Thursday on standards for the development of school library collections required by House Bill (HB) 900, which the Texas Legislature passed earlier this year. HB 900 is another law scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, though it is being challenged in a lawsuit filed by booksellers and bookseller associations.
• On Friday, the SBOE voted to change rules related to the no-contact period for charter applicants or their representatives during the charter application process. ATPE and 20 other Texas educator organizations submitted a comment letter Aug. 25 opposing the proposed changes and offering alternative suggestions that would have better preserved the intent of the no-contact period—ensuring transparency and that there is no undue influence on SBOE members or TEA from charter applicants or their representatives that could raise ethics concerns.

IMPEACHMENT: The impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is scheduled to begin Sept. 5. This interactive feature from The Texas Tribune explains who’s who in the proceedings. The impeachment trial is only the third such impeachment of a statewide official in Texas history.

POLITICAL CLIMATE: Two pieces of long-form journalism are worth a read this long weekend to better understand the current political climate for Texas public education. Texas Monthly reporter Alexandra Samuels takes a look at a YouTube video produced by far-right politico Michael Quinn Sullivan that claims the Texas House is controlled by Democrats. In The Washington Post, reporters Emma Brown and Peter Jamison examine the early 1980s roots of the “parental rights” movement in politics. (This 2021 Washington Post Q&A with Charles Siler, once a pro-voucher lobbyist, is also illuminating in terms of the ultimate goals of the voucher movement.)

LABOR DAY: The ATPE staff office will be closed Sept. 4 in observance of Labor Day. We wish the entire #txed community a restful weekend, whether you spend it under the Friday night lights or in the AC.