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

• TEA launches Sentinel school safety system as part of HB 3 implementation
• Provide feedback to House Public Education Committee on OER, advanced mathematics pathways, vouchers, and more
• TRS announces three important updates for TRS-Care at July meeting
• ATPE testifies before SBEC on proposed changes to educator discipline rules and offers feedback on revisions to special ed certification
• Time op-ed explores recent school closures in context of overall plans to dismantle public education

SCHOOL SAFETY: On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced the launch of Sentinel, a tool administered by the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Office of School Safety and Security. Sentinel is being made available to all school districts and open-enrollment charter schools at no cost through implementation of House Bill (HB) 3 as passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023. Sentinel is designed as a centralized database for all safety and security-related data from school districts and charter schools. KXAN News in Austin interviewed ATPE Executive Director Shannon Holmes about the system. “When there’s disorganization or lack of clarity in a highly charged, stressful situation, mistakes can be made,” Holmes said. “I hope this system provides school administrators the ability to make fast and accurate decisions when they need to make them.”

PUBLIC COMMENT: Educators are encouraged to submit feedback to the House Public Education Committee in advance of Aug. 12 and 13 hearings on interim charges issued by Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan.  

The Aug. 12 agenda includes: 

• Implementation of House Bill (HB) 1605 related to statewide open-source curricular materials (Open Education Resources, or OER). 
• HB 2209 establishing the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program. 
• Senate Bill (SB) 2124 related to advanced mathematics pathways in middle school. 
• Vouchers (“education savings accounts”). This item is (mis)labeled “Educational Opportunity” in the House public comment system.  

The committee’s Aug. 13 agenda includes: 

• The impact of uncertified teachers.  
• Reading and math proficiency in prekindergarten through third grade students. 

Share your feedback on these issues with lawmakers using the House public comment system. Learn how to use the comment system in this ATPE tutorial. 

TRS: The Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Board of Trustees met July 17–18 in Austin and announced three important updates for the TRS-Care program: reduced TRS-Care Medicare Advantage premiums for 2025, a special enrollment opportunity for TRS-Care Medicare Advantage, and new rates and benefits for TRS-Care dental and vision plans. Get the full recap on the entire TRS board meeting in this blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield. 

SBEC: The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met July 19 to tackle a discussion-heavy agenda that included revisions to rules on educator discipline and sanctions, teacher pedagogy standards, and certification requirements for special educators. ATPE Managing Attorney Lance Cain testified against proposed additions to educator discipline rules in TAC Chapter 249 as the association believes existing code already provides the board and Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff with all the tools needed to take action against inappropriate behavior without making actions that on their own may not indicate inappropriate behavior subject to automatic revocation. Cain also advised against revisions to contract abandonment rules that would add barriers to claiming a medical exemption, including proposals to require educators to first seek extraneous medical documentation or pursue cumbersome or cost-prohibitive medical leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). ATPE also submitted written testimony on proposed changes to TAC Chapter 231 governing certification of special education teachers, asking for clarity on the rules regarding previous classroom experience being used to determine competency, asking for classroom paraprofessional experience to be considered, and making suggestions regarding potential certification options for special educators who are not teachers of record, including a potential special education specific 7-12 generalist certificate option or content area microcredentials. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave has more in this blog post. 

WEEKEND READ: A recent Time Magazine op-ed explores the impact of school closures on local communities and in particular students of color. These school closures, according to the authors, are in the same spirit as the education reforms proposed in the Heritage Foundation’s proposal for a policy agenda in a potential second Trump Administration. ATPE Lobbyist Heather Sheffield takes a look at both the op-ed and the overall movement to undermine public education in this blog post.