It’s crunch time now for parents, caregivers, students and teachers, as the first day of school is fast approaching.
Harris County’s largest school district, Houston Independent School District, will mark its first day of school next Monday, August 12. This would mark their second year under Superintendent Mike Miles and the Texas Education Agency’s takeover.
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While there is still some time left until kids are back in class, new policies implemented over the summer are already causing a stir-up among HISD families.
In July, HISD announced major changes to their transportation system in an effort to save money and reduce ride times. As a result, the district slashed 85 bus routes, bringing the number of available routes from 508 to just 423 routes.
For one HISD school, students at Madison High School ended the year on a sour note, after a cell phone ban policy was put in place in May. This ban requires all students to turn in their phones once they enter the building. Many students staged a rally outside the campus. One student telling KPRC 2, “they are treating us like prisoners”. HISD released a statement, saying in part the cellphone policy is necessary to “ensure our students and staff have the safe and productive learning environment”.
Parents in HISD also have a new app they can download this school year to keep up with announcements.
A huge change coming for Katy students in grades 3 through 12. They can no longer bring cell phones to school. The district used to have a BYOD policy -- bring your own device -- for students, but found teachers were spending a lot of time troubleshooting different issues on different devices. This school year, everyone in grades 3-12 gets a Chromebook from the district and that’s the only device or personal computing system they’ll be allowed to bring to school.
Back in August of 2023, Katy ISD implemented its controversial gender identity policy, which requires teachers and staff to notify parents if their student comes out as transgender, or asks to use different pronouns. Nearly ten months later, the United States Department of Education launched an investigation into the policy after a Title IX complaint was filed by civil rights activists.
Katy ISD parents will also be able to track their kids’ bus routes to school this year. The district replaced the SMART Tag web-based Parent Portal with the SMART Tag app, which will send push notifications to registered mobile devices and tablets, providing parents with instant updates about delays, route alterations, or emergencies.
In Montgomery County, students can bring their cell phones to school but they have to put them away for the day and if parents want to get a message to their kids, they are not supposed to call them on their cell phones, but instead reach out to the school’s administrators.
Cy-Fair students are also facing big busing changes this year. For elementary students, you need to live at least a mile away from your school now to be eligible for busing. Middle and high schoolers must live at least two miles away. The district was also losing half of its librarians due to a budget deficit of $38 million.
Students in the Klein Independent School District should walk back into a more protective environment this school year. Changes in staff training and communication were implemented late last year after a series of high-profile cases including a teacher accused in a sex trafficking case with her son.
Over in Crosby ISD, 2023-2024 marked the district’s first full year operating on a four-day school week, becoming the first district in Harris County to do so.
These policies are just the latest in a string of changes to school districts across Southeast Texas.