An advocacy group for people with disabilities filed a lawsuit Monday claiming the Austin Independent School District is “failing thousands of students” by not evaluating them for special education within a specific amount of time. KUT reported earlier this month that 800 students were waiting to get evaluated for special education. These evaluations are the first […]
AISD
Austin’s largest school district, AISD is the Austin Independent School District.
Posted inEducation
Rep. Talarico proposes bill for educational equity officers; AISD is a case study
Earlier this month, Rep. James Talarico, who represents Texas’ 52nd District, filed a bill aimed at tackling equity issues within the state’s education systems. Specifically, the bill would require school districts to hire a diversity, equity and inclusion officer. According to the bill’s text, each officer would need experience working with students with limited English proficiency […]
Posted inAISD
‘Panic mode’: Austin ISD needs to evaluate 800 students for special ed. It doesn’t have the staff to do it.
More than 800 students in the Austin Independent School District are being denied their legal right to a special education evaluation. An evaluation is the first step in the process to get special education services. Without one, there is no official help in class. So if a child who struggles to read out loud never […]
Posted inPublic Health
Council committee hears update on effort to ensure menstrual equity
Members of the City Council Health and Human Services Committee considered an update on a Menstrual Equity Initiative, and how to fund it, at their most recent meeting. Meg Moore, community associate for the District 1 office, brought an update about the initiative, which has been underway for the past six weeks and currently consists […]
Posted inElections
AISD establishes 2020 Election Day as school holiday
Austin Independent School District students now have Election Day off this year following a decision by the AISD Board of Trustees to declare Tuesday, Nov. 3, a school holiday. The board voted to amend the 2020-21 school calendar at its Sept. 28 meeting, removing a previously established school holiday on Oct. 12 for parent conferences, […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD plans to bring a small group of students back to schools in October
Lee esta historia en español. When the Austin Independent School District begins phasing students back into school buildings Oct. 5, it will prioritize special education and lower grade levels within each school as the first to return. At a school board information session Monday night, Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said each school will be able to […]
Posted inEducation
Commissioners Court considers allocating additional funding for high-risk youth program
As public education moves from classrooms to screens in students’ homes, families’ need for support from educational institutions has increased. Students from vulnerable populations, in particular, benefit from personalized contact with someone in the Austin Independent School District, according to Allen Weeks, the executive director of Austin Voices for Education and Youth. “We’re really in […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD’s school year delayed until Sept. 8, first eight weeks could be online-only
The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees voted to delay the start of classes for the school year until Sept. 8. Virtual classes were supposed to begin Aug. 18, but the board wanted to give teachers more time to prepare for online learning. School board members also took into account recommendations from local health […]
Posted inEducation
‘This is an issue of health’: Teachers union demands Austin ISD offer only online classes in August
The union for Austin Independent School District employees is asking the district and the state not to send employees back to school buildings in August. Union members say it is unsafe for employees and children to be in classes together. During an online news conference Wednesday, Education Austin President Ken Zarifis said the union is […]
Posted inEducation
Schools in Travis County are not just segregated. They’re the most segregated in the state.
Valerie Sterne has always known anecdotally that schools in Austin are segregated. She used to be a teacher and an administrator with the Austin Independent School District, and saw firsthand that students of color and low-income students were all attending the same schools. When she left to get her PhD in education policy, she decided […]
Posted inEducation
Austin ISD school board approves $1.6 billion budget, after public calls to defund AISD Police
The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees passed a $1.65 billion budget early Tuesday, taking $47.6 million from the district’s reserve funds to make up for a shortfall partly caused by COVID-19 expenses. The budget also includes 2% raises for staff, more money for dual-language programs and more funding for certified academic language therapists, […]
Posted inAustin
Austin History Center chronicles the pandemic
The Austin History Center is a treasure trove of posters, books, photographs, and records from across the city’s history. And while the center is currently shuttered due to Covid-19, it is still doing the work of collecting records of the pandemic and documenting how Austin residents are living through it. “We recognize that this is […]