IDRA

Reporter's notebook: Texas lawmakers want to keep hemp out of the hands of kids. Educators don’t think it will work. Education Reporter Camille Phillips wanted to know if a ban on hemp sales to minors could cut down on the number of Texas students punished for vaping. Here's what she found out.

“We think that sending young people to harsh, punitive, carceral environments for any amount of time, but especially an extended period of time, is really harmful to their academic, behavioral, and mental health,” Duggins-Clay said. #txlege
www.tpr.org/education/20...

Happening tomorrow ⬇️

Our intrepid policy fellows just finished their nine-month-long fellowship! We could not be more thankful to DeAndrea, Isabelle, Kaci, and Vivek for giving us the most incredible time over the past year.

Congrats to our 4th round of fellows!

Texas was first to expand college access for undocumented students. Now it’s leading the rollback. After 24 years, the Texas Dream Act was dismantled in just six hours. Advocates warn the move could spread nationally — jeopardizing the future of thousands.

“This isn’t implementation,” Gomez said. “It’s chaos.”
19thnews.org/2025/07/texa...

Education Department layoffs get green light from U.S. Supreme Court Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said the layoffs are a first step toward eliminating the department. However, a lawsuit challenging the staff cuts can proceed in the lower courts.

"The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to sidestep Congress as it moves toward getting rid of the department, she said in a statement."
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/14/u...

🔗 Get the full guide & sign up for the July 17 webinar to get updates, ask questions, & learn how to navigate these changes: linktr.ee/TXdreamact

📢See how a new court order partially invalidates the TX Dream Act, ending in-state tuition for some students starting Fall 2025.

The background is a faded photo of the Texas Capitol looking up at the dome from the ground. At the left of the photo is a dark purple box with white text reading: "Join Our Schools Our Democracy on Tuesday, July 29th at 6p to learn about changes to Texas charter schools in the recent legislative session and charter application cycle." At the bottom of the purple box is a bright red oval with white text with the event registration link: bit.ly/OSODrecap. At the bottom of the page is a red rectangle stretching across the bottom of the photo with the OSOD logo, webpage, and social handles.

Join Our Schools Our Democracy on Tuesday, July 29th at 6p for a webinar to learn about changes to Texas charter schools after the 89th Legislative Session and the latest charter school application cycle.

🔗 bit.ly/OSODrecap

#txed #txlege

Texas Dreamers are Texans and deserve equal educational opportunities. We will not back down to protect Texas Dreamers. #txlege

Full statement: idra.news/TXDreamActBl...

Undocumented students in limbo, questions remain as Texas restricts in-state tuition Universities, college access advocates and immigrant rights groups are scrambling to figure out what the settlement means and how to follow it, and how much...

“It tugs on a deeper moral fabric of our entire state. It signals we are not valuing these young people as part of our Texas community … that they don’t belong and that this opportunity to seek a higher education is not available to them,” - @chloesikes.bsky.social
www.dallasnews.com/news/educati...

Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” includes a tax loophole for billionaires—practically paying them to “donate” to private school tuition for families earning up to $500,000 a year. It increases the deficit & weakens public schools.

Tell your lawmakers: Say NO to school vouchers.
aft.org/NoToVouchers

Abbott's comptroller pick will shape the rollout of Texas private school voucher Glenn Hegar is leaving the post, which is in charge of running Texas' new private school voucher program.

“In this first year where the rules have to be proposed and adopted this first year and we’ll have a new comptroller, I think it’s fair to say we’ll see the governor’s hand in this,” said @chloesikes.bsky.social, deputy director of policy for IDRA. #txlege
www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/art...

Marked safe from the 89th Texas Legislature today. (Mimicking posts you would see on Facebook after a natural disaster.)

Happy sine die to all who celebrate 🥴 This #TxLege has ended.

The #txlege session is over, and certain lawmakers spent the past five months doing what we call the Texas three-step: defunding our public schools, demonizing what students can learn, & diverting money to private school vouchers.

Read our wrap-up: idra.news/TxLegeWrapUp25

🚨 Final week of the #TxLege session — major education bills are moving fast.
Lawmakers are deciding the future of school funding, student discipline, classroom censorship & more.
Stay informed. Take action.🛑✏️📚
🔗Full update: idra.news/Tx25PolicyUp...

🚨House Bill 6 is a punitive, harmful school discipline bill that would give harsh punishments for minor offenses young Texas students make.

Call your state senator and tell them to vote no to suspending 7-year-olds. #NoOnHB6

Call Script: idra.news/TX25PolicyUp...

Texas School Districts Slam the Senate’s School Finance Plan “It’s like your house being on fire, and the fire department showing up with a 12 ounce cup of water”

Texas school districts slam the Senate’s school finance plan: “It’s like your house being on fire, and the fire department showing up with a 12 oz cup of water.” @texasaft.org @texasdemocrats.bsky.social @raiseyourhandtexas.bsky.social @everytexan.bsky.social @idraedu.bsky.social

The House version included raises to the bilingual education allotment to support bilingual students in Texas. Unfortunately, that is not in the current Senate version.

HB 2 (House version) Testimony: idra.news/Tx2025Testim...

The Texas State Senate – Senate Live Broadcasts

🚨The Texas Senate Education Committee has begun their hearing on #HB2, a completely different version of the bill the House passed.

Watch the hearing live, as we testify today⬇️
senate.texas.gov/av-live.php

Will Texas keep kicking students out of school for vaping? State lawmakers are debating whether to ease up – or double down – on e-cigarette punishments.

“Mandatory referrals fail to address the root cause of substance use and instead remove students from learning environments where they could possibly get help,” #txlege
www.dallasnews.com/news/educati...

Texas House of Representatives Texas House of Representatives provides information on legislation, committees, sessions, and the Texas House

House Calendars Committee members: house.texas.gov/committees/c...

🚨Good News! ✅ HB 1405 was successfully voted out of House Public Education and now heads to the Calendars committee where bills are set for the floor!

We still need your help! Call the House Calendars Committee members and tell them to vote YES on HB 1405! #txlege

We spent yesterday testifying against House Bill 6.

Our youngest Texans shouldn’t be suspended for days on end for minor things. All students deserve a safe school without harsh discipline policies.

Call your state senator and tell them your concerns about HB 6! #txlege

🚨The Texas Senate Education Committee is hearing #HB6, live NOW, a punitive and harmful school discipline bill that would give harsh punishments for minor offenses young Texas students make. #txlege

We're testifying NO on the bill❌

Watch the hearing live: senate.texas.gov/av-live.php

🚨House Bill 6 is a punitive harmful school discipline bill that would give harsh punishments for minor offenses young Texas students make.

Come join us in Austin to testify or call the Senate Education Committee and tell them to vote no! #txlege

Bullying is an epidemic across Texas. We need your help to get this bill across the finish line! Call the House Public Education Committee and tell them to vote yes to HB 1405!

house.texas.gov/committees/c...

Today the TX House Higher Ed Committee is holding a hearing on SB 37, a bill that threatens academic freedom and would censor students’ exposure to diverse curricula.

If you can, make a call to your rep or the House Higher Education Committee and tell them to vote no on SB 37! #txlege

Read our full testimony: idra.news/TxTestimonyS...

Censorship & book bans take choices away from all students and limit opportunities to access education and think critically about the world around us.

Help stop SB 13 by leaving public comment: comments.house.texas.gov/home

We cannot go another #TxLege session with $0 for public schools. 📞 Remind your legislator today.

Contact your senator: bit.ly/MoveHB2
Contact your representative: bit.ly/TXSchoolBills 

More on what's happening 👇  
www.texasaft.org/features/tex...