Texas
Texas special education director trial sparks law change recommendations
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The week-long trial of a Texas particular schooling director over her involvement in a scenario involving a non-verbal pupil with extreme autism resulted in a mistrial final week — nevertheless it may end in a large overhaul of the legal guidelines designed to guard particular schooling college students within the state.
Seated contained in the small Williamson County courtroom for the trial of Dr. Stacie Koerth had been Hutto ISD educators, dad and mom of scholars with autism who wished to be taught extra concerning the legislation — and a handful of incapacity rights advocates.
Certainly one of them was Steven Aleman, a senior coverage specialist at Incapacity Rights Texas. Incapacity Rights Texas is a federally-designated authorized safety and advocacy company for individuals with disabilities in Texas.
“Through the years, Incapacity Rights Texas has been monitoring the variety of restraints in opposition to college students with disabilities in Texas and, sadly, we now have found some very disturbing patterns and examples of restraints gone incorrect,” Aleman mentioned.
Dr. Koerth, in addition to her colleague Karen Perez, are accused of forcing the coed with particular wants right into a Dickie’s jumpsuit to maintain him from moving into his pants. It was an issue a number of academics testified had turn into a extreme well being concern for the coed, employees and for his classmates.
The incident was solely partially captured on hallway cameras exterior Hutto Excessive College’s particular schooling lecture rooms. The three particular schooling lecture rooms had no cameras put in inside, in response to testimony. A faculty spokesperson mentioned the district has nonetheless not put in any cameras inside the lecture rooms within the greater than three years for the reason that incident.
It means important proof was lacking through the trial of Koerth. For Aleman, it highlighted a significant hole within the present legislation.
“It’s our suggestion to the subsequent legislature that what we discuss with because the cameras in lecture rooms legislation be revised and up to date — and amongst different issues, we imagine it’s crucial that there be the necessary placement of cameras in these remoted lecture rooms the place college students with disabilities are with educators,” Aleman mentioned.
“It would serve the perfect curiosity of the educators to guard them to indicate what really occurred earlier than an incident — and it’ll shield these college students as a deterrent to doubtlessly life-threatening conduct by educators,” Aleman continued.
Together with the necessary placement of cameras in particular schooling lecture rooms, Incapacity Rights will advocate necessities for colleges to maintain the footage on file for longer durations of time and ease dad and mom’ restrictions in attempting to entry the recordings from the colleges.
State prosecutors and Koerth’s protection workforce declined to interview till the case is resolved. In the meantime, the Texas Training Company nonetheless has an open investigation into the educator’s actions, together with the allegation she didn’t doc the restraint on authorities data that go to the state company yearly.
Koerth and her attorneys have maintained she didn’t restrain the coed at any level through the incident.
“I’m hopeful that the TEA will check out all this data now within the public document — that got here ahead from testimony — and try whether or not or not the requirements apply to directors and educators had been violated,” Aleman mentioned. “The highest administrator in a college district in Texas to not acknowledge that type ought to have been stuffed out in a unique method, I feel to us, means that there needs to be some accountability from the State Board of Educator Certification.”
A part of the suggestions Incapacity Rights Texas plans to make to the Governor’s Committee on Folks with Disabilities are revisions to the Do Not Rent registry and an growth of the definition of restraint below the penal code to incorporate a statute addressing particular schooling settings.
“By and huge, particular educators are particular individuals who dedicate themselves to serving to individuals. We respect and honor the work that they do in lecture rooms, however that being mentioned, if there’s a particular educator, or for that matter any educator, that crosses a line, it’s higher that the educator just isn’t in public colleges any additional,” Aleman mentioned.
Texas
Court orders Biden admin to stop selling border wall materials, was 'illegally subverting' laws: Texas AG
The Biden administration on Friday said it would stop selling off materials slated to be used to build a border wall ahead of the incoming Trump administration, which has promised to bring back tougher efforts to combat illegal immigration.
The Biden administration confirmed to a court that it will agree to a court order preventing it from disposing of any further border wall materials over the next 30 days, allowing President-elect Trump to use those materials, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.
The Biden administration has been auctioning off border wall parts since at least 2023, with parts listed for sale on auction marketplaces, after it abruptly shut down most border wall construction in 2021.
GOP SENATOR MOVES TO BLOCK FEDS FROM DISPOSING OF BORDER WALL MATERIALS AMID AUCTION BACKLASH
Piles of unused border fence sit at one of the border wall construction staging areas on the Johnson Ranch near Columbus, N.M., on Monday, April 12, 2021. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
President-elect Donald Trump then urged the Biden Administration to stop. Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump’s representatives.
“We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office,” Paxton said.
“This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda,” he added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas on June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
In a news release, Paxton’s office said that if the Biden administration disposes of border wall materials purchased with funds subject to an injunction in violation of a court order, “it would constitute unethical and sanctionable conduct and officials could be held in contempt of court.”
Texas has said it intends to do all it can to help the incoming administration build the wall at the southern border when Trump enters office.
The Biden administration abruptly ended border wall construction in January 2021 after 450 miles had been built in the first Trump administration. While border hawks say a wall is a critical tool to stopping illegal immigration, some Democrats have said a wall project is xenophobic and ineffective.
HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING BIDEN ADMIN’S SALE OF BORDER WALL PARTS: ‘WASTE AND ABUSE’
President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall, Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in San Luis, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The auctioning off of border wall parts began in 2023 with parts listed for sale on GovPlanet.com, an online auction marketplace. The Defense Department’s logistics agency told media outlets that the excess material had been turned over for disposition by the Army Corps of Engineers and was now for sale.
Those auctions have continued, with officials in Arizona telling Fox News Digital that auctions have been occurring weekly for some time. The practice drew attention last week when The Daily Wire published video showing unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks in Arizona, even though the materials could be used in the next Trump administration.
Trump previously called Biden’s efforts to sell unused border wall materials at a discounted rate “almost a criminal act.”
Trump said the auctions would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to re-purchase the large steel bollards and concrete. He called on President Biden to “please stop selling the wall” and suggested his team would obtain a restraining order to halt the sales.
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“What they’re doing is really an act, it’s almost a criminal act,” he said. “They know we’re going to use it and if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it, and it’ll cost double what it cost years ago, and that’s hundreds of millions of dollars because you’re talking about a lot of, a lot of wall.”
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Brooke Singman and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Although the 2024-2025 football season has yet to subside, head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns have already been scoping out the next generation of athletes for their dynasty in the making.
The Longhorns secured the No. 1 recruiting class for 2025, with 25 high school players committed as of Dec. 6 following the early signing period, including four five-stars.
But now the focus has begun to shift over to the class of 2026, and Texas looks to add even more depth and strength to eventually turn into NFL-level talent. With two 2026 commits already making their announcement, four-star quarterback Dia Bell and three-star wide receiver Chris Stewart, Sarkisian continues to make strides toward the future success of his program.
On3’s Chad Simmons revealed his predictions for where the top 2026 recruits would call home on Wednesday and discussed Texas as an option for some of the best in the nation.
Simmons feels the most confident that four-star offensive tackle John Turntine will commit to the Longhorns after visiting the Forty Acres multiple times and building relationships with the football staff. Turntine hails from North Crowley in Fort Worth, making Texas a candidate that’s close to home.
The 305-pound offensive lineman just helped his team win the Texas 6A Division 1 state championship title over none other than Austin Westlake, a former stomping ground for current Longhorn Michael Taaffe, and would certainly make for a promising addition. Other schools in contention for Turntine include SMU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oregon, but On3 rates Texas as having the best chance of recruitment.
“There is real confidence in Austin that Texas feels good about their position with in-state offensive tackle target John Turnstine III,” Simmons said. “He has visited Texas numerous times, and he and his family have really connected with the staff. From Steve Sarkisian to Kyle Flood to recruiting assistants, Turntine has built some strong relationships. The North Crowley star just won a state title and he is expected to take many more visits, but Texas continues to set the pace.”
Another four-star with Texas in his sights is cornerback Davon Benjamin, who listed the Longhorns within his top eight schools on Thursday. Benjamin stands as the No. 4 safety and No. 47 player overall in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. However, Simmons wasn’t positive that Texas would be the one to land Benjamin and predicted the dual-threat athlete to commit to Oregon out of over 30 offers. The Longhorns must compete against football powerhouses such as Georgia, Ohio State, and Miami in order to snag this star recruit.
There’s no doubt that it will be a tight race among all of the best college football programs to formulate a promising 2026 roster, and Texas has a decent head start with the commitment of Bell to help get the ball rolling.
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