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

• Watch ATPE’s new webinar about the upcoming March primaries.
• Ten days remain to register to vote in the March primaries.
• Look back at the major issues that concerned educators in 2023.
• Attorney General Ken Paxton released a new opinion on school safety.
• Submit session proposals for the 2024 ATPE Summit by Feb. 16.
• This week is Holocaust Remembrance Week.

ELECTIONS WEBINAR: ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter, Senior Lobbyist Mark Wiggins, and Lobbyist Tricia Cave presented the webinar “Primary Elections: The REAL March Madness” Wednesday. The webinar focused on the importance of voting in the primary elections in general and why the 2024 primaries are of particular importance to the future of Texas public education. Watch the full webinar on demand.

TEXAS PRIMARIES: You have 10 days left to make sure you are registered to vote in the March primary election. The deadline to register is Feb. 5. Take two minutes now and visit votetexas.gov to confirm your voter registration. If you need to register or update your name or address, do so now. This ATPE Blog post explains why the March primaries, not the November general election, are the most consequential in terms of Texas public education. The majority of races for the Texas Legislature will be decided in March because of the way Texas legislative districts are drawn—and the majority of decisions about Texas public education, including about the funding available for your salary, health insurance, and retirement benefits, is made by the Texas Legislature. Mark these key primary election dates on your calendar:

• Feb. 5: Voter registration deadline
• Feb. 20: Early voting begins
• Feb. 23: Last day to apply for a ballot to vote by mail
• March 1: Early voting ends
• March 5: Election Day .

2023 IN REVIEW: Using data from the Education Week Research Center, we’ve taken a look back at the issues that most concerned educators in 2023 and their impact on the teaching profession. The research center’s surveys investigate job satisfaction, mental health, artificial intelligence, science of reading, district response to retention issues, school shootings, and more. These were all major education issues in Texas, where school funding was the focus of multiple special sessions. Read more on the ATPE Blog.

AG OPINION: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a new opinion this week on whether school marshals can openly carry handguns on a duty belt. Paxton concluded: “Subsection 37.0811(c) authorizes a school marshal to possess a handgun on the physical premises of a school, but only in the manner provided by written regulations adopted by the board of trustees. A school marshal possesses a handgun when it is openly carried on the marshal’s duty belt. Therefore, a court would likely conclude that Education Code subsection 37.0811(c) authorizes a board of trustees to adopt regulations that allow a school marshal to duty belt carry a handgun.” Read the full opinion.

ATPE SUMMIT: You still have time to submit proposals for the 2024 ATPE Summit! The 2024 ATPE Summit will take place July 8–10 at the Sheraton Dallas, and the Summit Programming Committee is seeking submissions for innovative and engaging professional development sessions on the topics of most interest to Texas educators. Whether you’re a seasoned presenter or an educator interested in sharing your experience and perspectives with others for the first time, consider submitting a proposal for this year’s summit. The submission deadline is Feb. 16. Read this recent ATPE Blog post to learn more about how to submit proposals and what kind of proposals the committee is seeking.

HOLOCAUST REMEMBERANCE WEEK: Passed in 2019, Senate Bill (SB) 1828 established an annual Holocaust Remembrance Week in Texas public schools and instructs the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC) to develop or approve materials for a statewide Holocaust Remembrance Week. This year, Holocaust Remembrance Week is observed the week of Jan. 22–26. (International Holocaust Remembrance Day is Jan. 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.) THGAAC provides an array of approved classroom resources that can strengthen young people's grasp of the atrocities that unfolded during the Holocaust. Educators can visit the THGAAC webpage to explore age-appropriate lesson plans, readings, and audiovisual content for their classrooms. Read more on the ATPE Blog.