AUSTIN, Texas – Dozens of educators, including several from San Antonio, convened at the Texas Capitol on Monday to voice their opposition to school choice vouchers.

The rally, which drew participants from across the state, focused on advocating for higher teacher pay, improved working conditions and a firm stance against the proposed voucher system.

“We are aggressive in fighting for the rights for educators. Our rights for fair wages and reasonable working conditions have to be respected and forced in our districts and in our college campuses too,” said an organizer for the rally.

Protesters carried signs with messages such as “Texas can and must do better,” “we demand thriving public schools,” and “say no to vouchers.”

The school choice bill, currently making its way through the Texas Legislature, proposes to allocate up to $10,000 per family to facilitate the transfer of students to private schools.

Educators at the rally expressed concerns that such a measure could undermine public education funding and potentially worsen existing inequalities.

The protest highlighted educators’ call for legislative action to prioritize public school funding and ensure equitable educational opportunities for all students in Texas.

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The North Texas Mean Green have made some big moves in just their second season in the American Athletic Conference.

North Texas finished its conference slate with a 14-3 record, its best conference record since going 16-2 in Conference USA in 2021-22. The Mean Green enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Memphis.

UNT is seeking its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons, but will likely need to win the conference tournament to get a bid.

Here’s how to follow North Texas through the AAC tournament.

Schedule

When: Wednesday-Sunday

Where: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth

Broadcast: ESPNU, ESPN+ (streaming only)

First round: Wednesday, March 12

Game 1 — No. 13 Charlotte vs No. 12 Rice, noon; ESPN+

Second round: Thursday, March 13

Game 2 — No. 9 South Florida vs No. 8 Wichita State, 11:30 a.m.; ESPNU

Game 3 — Game 1 Winner vs No. 5 Florida Atlantic, 1:30 p.m.; ESPNU

Game 4 — No. 10 Tulsa vs No. 7 Temple, 6 p.m.; ESPNU

Game 5 — No. 11 UTSA vs No. 6 East Carolina, 8 p.m.; ESPNU

Third round: Friday, March 14

Game 6 — Game 2 Winner vs No. 1 Memphis, noon; ESPN2

Game 7 — Game 3 Winner vs No. 4 Tulane, 1 p.m.; ESPN2

Game 8 — Game 4 Winner vs No. 2 North Texas, 6 p.m.; ESPNU

Game 9 — Game 5 Winner vs No. 3 UAB, 8 p.m.; ESPNU

Semifinals: Saturday, March 15

Game 6 Winner vs Game 7 Winner, 2 p.m.; ESPN2

Game 8 Winner vs Game 9 Winner, 4 p.m.; ESPN2

AAC Championship Game: Sunday, March 16

2:15 p.m., ESPN

How to watch other conference tournaments

— How to watch Texas, A&M and Oklahoma in the SEC tournament

— How to watch SMU in the ACC tournament

— How to watch Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU in the Big 12 tournament

Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

A federal judge awarded nearly $2 million in damages after determining that an FBI agent was negligent when he shot and killed a kidnapped Texas man during a botched rescue effort.

The mother and son of Ulises Valladares, 47, were awarded the money as part of a civil lawsuit filed in Houston federal court alleging the man was helpless while he was bound and blindfolded when FBI agent Gavin Lappe shot him in January 2018 as agents entered a home where he was being held captive.

Lappe told investigators he only fired his gun when he suspected that a kidnapper had grabbed his rifle after the agent broke a window to enter the home and did not know he was shooting Valladares.

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But U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt in Houston found that Lappe “was negligent, even grossly negligent, in his response” during the rescue attempt, and ruled that the agent was the sole cause of Valladares’ death.

Hoyt said Lappe shot at a silhouette in the window without confirming who he was shooting at and that he fired his weapon despite no direct threat to him or another agent nearby.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt found that the agent “was negligent, even grossly negligent, in his response” during the rescue attempt. (iStock)

Lappe was protected against the lawsuit through qualified immunity, which shields law enforcement from liability for wrongdoing. But the case was allowed to move forward against the federal government, which is not protected from liability.

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FBI agent Gavin Lappe was protected against the lawsuit through qualified immunity, which shields law enforcement from liability for wrongdoing. (iStock)

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Former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo previously said Lappe’s explanation for shooting Valladares is not backed up by evidence reviewed by police investigators.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.