Welcome back to another edition of The TexEd Report!

If you missed last week’s edition you can check it out here, and if there are any topics you think I should be covering that I’m not, please let me know.

The government shutdown just hit its two-week mark, and today we’re diving into the impact it's having on our Texas students and educators.

We’ll also take a look at how faculty at one Texas university are pushing back against on-going attacks on academic freedom.

Finally, we recap Banned Books Week and continue our discussion on Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner.”

Let’s get into it!

Katie Serrano

DFW Political Correspondent, COURIER Texas

How the government shutdown could hurt low-income students in Texas

Photo by Katie Serrano

Union members and elected officials gathered in Dallas on Friday to demand an end to the government shutdown, which is impacting 250,000 federal workers in Texas.

Although the shutdown is now in its second week, the Trump administration has been meddling in the US Education Department, which includes an Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in Dallas, for far longer.

“If you talk to my fellow members in the Department of Education and you mention a government shutdown many of us will be confused, because we’ve been shut down effectively since the beginning of this administration,” said Sheria Smith (photo), an attorney for the Dallas OCR and member of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, a union that represents Education Department employees.

Texas State faculty fight back against ‘politically motivated’ curriculum review

Photo by Shutterstock

Faculty at Texas State University are pushing back against an order from the university system demanding curriculum reviews, the latest chapter in a crackdown on academic freedom at public colleges across the state.

On Oct. 10, Pranesh Aswath—TSU’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs—notified faculty and staff that the Texas State University System is charging its campuses with a complete curriculum review and demanding that a summary of their findings be shared by Jan. 20, according to the Texas State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

The order asked departments to “verify course descriptions, outcomes, and academic intent” and to determine whether programs meet “workforce and community needs.”

🏫Fort Worth-area elementary classrooms exceed max capacity: Elementary classrooms in Fort Worth, Crowle, and Aledo ISDs are seeking state waivers allowing specific classes to have more than 22 students after exceeding the state’s maximum number of students Texas allows for one teacher. (Fort Worth Report)

📱Houston school will destroy phones found on campus: Western Academy, an all-boys school in Houston, announced that any student that brings a mobile device on campus will be suspended, and the device will be destroyed. (KHOU)

🌳North Texas school turns to nature to strengthen students’ writing: Treetops Charter School in Euless is ditching the classroom and having students learn outside in the surrounding landscape to sharpen their writing skills. (NBC DFW)

Photo by Katie Serrano

Last week, COURIER Texas celebrated Banned Books Week by educating our audience on what a banned book is, sharing what our team thought were the dumbest additions to PEN America’s updated list of banned books during the 2024-25 school year in Texas, and chatting with local book store owners across the state on the importance of allowing students the freedom to read.

We also caught up with a few DFW booksellers to hear what their favorite banned books are and why they think people should read them anyway.

We only have one more week left on Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner.” If you’ve been enjoying reading this book for the first time, or re-reading it like me, let me know! And if you missed the first batch of discussion questions, you can find them here.

This week, let these questions guide you while you read:

1. How does immigration affect Baba’s sense of identity, status, and pride?

2. How does the transition from Afghanistan to the United States affect Amir and Baba’s relationship?

3. How does the theme of silence—things unsaid or kept secret—continue to play a role in the book?

Want to dive deeper into the Afghan culture that’s portrayed in “The Kite Runner”? Try making Kabuli Pulao, the National dish of Afghanistan.

Live in the DFW area and want to try more Afghan food? Check out Ariana Cuisine in Lower Greenville, Kababistan in Plano, or Golden Star in Richardson.

Faith, Freedom & The Future of Texas

What’s at stake with politics in classrooms and for freedom in Texas schools? Join COURIER Texas and Americans United for Faith, Freedom & The Future of Texas, a live event exploring how religion and politics are reshaping education, democracy, and community life across the state.

💬 Includes panels on faith in classrooms and faith leaders voicing concerns —plus free food and drinks.

🎟️ Sign up here

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