Latest news with #KennedaleISD
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
School discipline bill passes Texas House, heads to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk
The 89th Texas legislative session ends in less than a week. Here are outstanding bills The 89th Texas legislative session ends in less than a week. Here are outstanding bills The 89th Texas legislative session ends in less than a week. Here are outstanding bills A bill that would allow suspensions for students from pre-K to second grade passed in the Texas House late Wednesday night and is off to the governor's desk. House Bill 6 details how to discipline students in pre-K through second grade and homeless students when there is a repeated and significant disruption. It would overturn Texas laws that previously protected those students. Senators have previously softened those guidelines, which gives individual schools more autonomy to discipline students. The latest version allows in-student suspensions for as long as the school sees fit, as long as principals review placements every 10 days. Under HB 6, students can be suspended if there's an offense related to weapons; if students threaten the immediate health and safety of others; or if they repeatedly or significantly disrupt the classroom, as determined by the campus administrator. "It's common sense to give teachers the authority to remove disruptive students from classrooms," Gov. Greg Abbott posted on social media after the bill was passed. "We must restore discipline in our schools." Two Kennedale ISD educators recently told CBS News Texas their pros and cons of the bill. "I watched a 5-year-old tear up a kindergarten classroom, and when I say tear it up, I mean destroy it. It's real," said. Kennedale ISD superintendent Dr. Chad Gee. "And how are those teachers supposed to educate all the students in their classrooms with that going on?"
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
More North Texas school districts are switching to 4-day weeks. Here's why.
More public school districts in Texas are turning to shorter school weeks, including several in North Texas. For the 2025-2026 school year, Kennedale ISD in Tarrant County and Ponder ISD in Denton County will transition to a four-day school week. At least 18 public school districts in the North Texas area have already made the change. Districts have said that moving to a four-day school week will help them recruit and retain quality teachers. According to the Texas Education Agency, for the 2024-2025 school year, the total number of employed teachers fell for the first time since 2011, and the number of teachers leaving rose. Other reasons include saving money and student attendance. While the TEA does not have a complete list of districts implementing four-day school weeks, the Texas Classroom Teachers Association said that Olfen ISD, east of San Angelo, was the first to implement a four-day week in the 2016-2017 school year. As a rule, districts will designate a day off. Usually, that's on a Monday or a Friday. By law, Texas requires public schools to provide a minimum of 75,600 minutes of instruction per school year. Instead of making the school year longer, many districts opt to make the school day longer. Kennedale ISD, for example, plans to increase its school day by 15 minutes. Ponder ISD says it will increase its school day by 30 minutes. But missing that fifth day may impact students when it comes to learning retention. The TEA released a report in February 2025 comparing the academic impact of a four-day school week to a five-day school week. Results are based on the 2022-2023 school year STAAR test scores. In reading/language arts, students in grades 6-8 who attended a four-day school week scored an average of 6 to 8 percentage points lower than students who attended a five-day school week. In math, students in grades 4-6 had an average of 5-8 percentage points lower. The TEA also cited national research that shows evidence of academic growth from districts that adopted a four-day school week as long as they made the school day or the school year longer. However, that growth didn't happen as fast as in five-day school week districts. On average, students in a four-day school week attend 148 school days per year, compared to the national average for five-day schools at 180 days per year. North Texas school districts operating in a four-day school week: Chico ISD Gordon ISD Graford ISD Mineral Wells ISD Palo Pinto ISD Tioga ISD Farmersville ISD Terrell ISD Anna ISD Community ISD Decatur ISD Sanger ISD Athens ISD Gainesville ISD Quinlan ISD Joshua ISD Gunter ISD Collinsville ISD
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Kennedale ISD substitute accused of showing sexual material to students, police say
A Kennedale ISD substitute teacher has been arrested after parents say she showed sexually explicit material to their children. The substitute teacher, identified in court records as 38-year-old Ashley Nicole Evans, was booked at the Tarrant County Jail and released on $50,000 bond on Wednesday. Evans faces two misdemeanor counts of displaying harmful material to a minor, according to court records. According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram, multiple students at Kennedale Junior High School reported to school administrators that Evans had talked to them about drug use and pornography and showed them sexually explicit material on her cellphone. Parents Daphne Todd and Ashley Baker told WFAA-TV that they were notified of the April incident via an e-mail from school officials and a phone call from police this week. Baker's 14-year-old daughter and Todd's 14-year-old son were both in the junior high school class that Evans was teaching at the time, the mothers said. 🚨 More top stories from our newsroom: → School closures could save millions. But would they help students? → Student charged in Frisco stabbing will receive diploma → Last TCU-area dive bar is a restaurant with surprises [Get our breaking news alerts.] Baker and Todd said that officials told them Evans showed their children explicit photos and engaged them in inappropriate conversation on April 7, WFAA-TV reported. Court records indicate that a second alleged incident took place in January. 'I'm disturbed because you have to be mentally ill and a very perverted, sick person to be in a classroom full of pre-teens, like teens, and be watching that kind of stuff,' Baker told WFAA-TV. Kennedale ISD issued the following statement to the Star-Telegram: In April, the district received a report regarding inappropriate conversations between a substitute teacher and students. In accordance with district policy, the substitute was immediately removed from access to all campuses and law enforcement was notified. Since that time, additional allegations have been made as part of the ongoing investigation with law enforcement. The District is actively cooperating with appropriate agencies. We remain committed to the safety and well-being of all students and will continue to take appropriate action in accordance with district policy and legal requirements. Kennedale police declined to release additional details, citing the ongoing investigation.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
North Texas educators talk pros, cons of new bill that would allow young children to be suspended from school
Texas lawmakers are working on a bill that could change how children are disciplined in school. It's called House Bill 6. If passed, this would allow suspensions for students from pre-K to second grade – students ages 4 to 8. Under HB 6, students can be suspended if there's an offense related to weapons; if students threaten the immediate health and safety of others; or if they repeatedly or significantly disrupt the classroom, as determined by the campus administrator. If passed, the bill would allow in-school suspensions up to 10 days and out-of-school suspensions up to three days. Are those students too young to be suspended? To get answers, Lacey Beasley spoke with Kennedale ISD's superintendent and director of counseling services for their take. Kennedale ISD has a disciplinary program to prevent suspensions at all ages. Kennedale ISD superintendent Dr. Chad Gee said a lot of behavior issues go back to life at home. "I will say that Kennedale is not against it. I think there must be some guardrails in place," Gee said. "We are a district of innovation, so we previously already put in place on that plan to be able to suspend students below third grade, but we limited it to two days. Not three days, like the normal suspensions are." In an interview with Lacey Beasley, Gee and Stephanie Devlin, director of counseling services at Kennedale ISD, talked about the pros and cons of the bill. The following conversation was lightly edited for clarity. Lacey Beasley: Do you think that pre-K to second grade age, is that too young to be suspending students? Gee: This is where HB 6 comes into play, and this is where our district of innovation comes into play. We were experiencing students with very severe behaviors that were compromising the classroom environment. I watched a 5-year-old tear up a kindergarten classroom, and when I say tear it up, I mean destroy it. It's real. And how are those teachers supposed to educate all the students in their classrooms with that going on? We don't necessarily have the resources to deal with a lot of those behaviors, so I see the purpose with HB 6. Devlin: It's never our first go-to in any grade level, especially at this grade. Multiple interventions and conversations are done prior to reaching the point of putting a student outside of school. Beasley: If home life is not okay, then there's no way school life can be okay. Gee: How are they supposed to learn when they're dealing with all these other things in their life? It could be food insecurity. We see kids who witness things that they shouldn't be witnessing. Devlin: I remember sitting in a training hearing, if they're mad or sad, they can't add, which is the simplicity of that is so true even for adults. We can't control that in their homes. We can control that here.
CBS News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
National Teacher Appreciation Day is May 6: Here are deals for educators in North Texas
Tuesday, May 6 is Teacher Appreciation Day and schools across North Texas are using the week to celebrate educators any way they can. It's part of Teacher Appreciation Week, which is May 5-9. From private to public school, in the classroom or out, schools can't operate without a devoted faculty and staff. From the gym to the classroom, lunchroom, field house, auditorium, bandroom, even the custodians and everywhere in between, schools run on the dreams of students with the help of teachers who work beyond an eight-hour day. Educators are advocates, listeners, encouragers and a voice of reason. Kennedale ISD superintendent Dr. Chad Gee told CBS News Texas that there's no doubt that faculty and staff the heart of the district. "I think we have the greatest teachers of all the districts in the [Dallas-Fort Worth] Metroplex," Gee said. "We are the smallest, I think if you looked at it and researched, we'd probably be the smallest in Dallas County too. So, between [Dallas and Fort Worth], we are the smallest school district. Our teachers wear many hats, our staff wear many hats and we are so very grateful for all they do for our students." Deals for educators during Teacher Appreciation Week Buffalo Wild Wings Teachers can save 20% May 5-11 with a valid ID. Chipotle Teachers can enter for a chance to win a free entrée this week. Enter here. Hat Creek Burger Company Educators can get a free Little Hat Burger at Hat Creek Burger Company on May 6 with a valid ID. Insomnia Cookies Teachers can buy one cookie and get one free with a valid ID from May 5-11. La Madeline Via La Madeline's Bonjour Rewards app, educators can buy one bakery item and get one free on May 6. Original ChopShop Teachers can save 10% from May 5-9 with a valid ID. Raising Cane's Teachers can enter for an all-expenses-paid summer vacation and a $10,000 classroom makeover. Enter the sweepstakes here. Salata Educators can get 20% off their order May 5-9 with a valid ID. Shipley Do-Nuts Teachers who are Shipley loyalty members can get a free half dozen doughnuts from May 4-6. Smoothie King Teachers with a valid ID can get 20% off their order from May 6-8. Whataburger From May 5-9, educators can get a free breakfast item from 5 a.m.-9 a.m. with a valid ID.
