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7 Million Americans Rally for Democracy in Latest No Kings Day of Action
Photo courtesy of the Houston Federation of Teachers This past Saturday, Oct. 18, 7 million Americans turned out to more than 2,700 peaceful marches and nonviolent for the second No Kings Day of action. At least one event took place in all 50 states in opposition to democratic backsliding, as well as large global protests led by Americans abroad. ...
Read MoreHouston Federation of Teachers Secures Court Victory in Pay-for-Performance Dispute
Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson speaks at the No More Harm rally outside the AFT convention in July 2024. Houston educators scored a significant legal win this month when a Harris County judge issued a partial injunction against Houston ISD’s plan to distribute state-mandated teacher raises through a...
Read MoreFederal, State Policies Destabilize Higher Education Landscape
On Thursday, Texas AAUP-AFT, TSEU, and CWA members joined with the Texas State University and San Marcos community to rally in support of Dr. Tom Alter, a tenured professor fired earlier this month without due process at the urging of Gov. Greg Abbott. Courtesy of Texas AFL-CIO. Higher education has...
Read MoreSept. 26, 2025: Hands Off!
Friday, September 26, 2025 Hands Off! Texas politicians can’t help themselves but meddle in our public school classrooms (and our college and university classrooms too). The past two weeks of needless hysteria — firing professors for doing their job or launching a witch hunt for teachers and faculty who...
Read MoreEducators Denounce Latest Attack on Academic Freedom, Freedom of Speech – this time at Angelo State University
This week, the fight for the First Amendment runs through Angelo State University, the latest stop for the ongoing statewide assault on free speech, due process, and academic freedom.
Read MoreTexas AFT Joins Lawsuit Against Discriminatory SB 12
On Tuesday, Texas AFT joined ongoing litigation against Senate Bill 12, a new state law that bans gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs, prevents educators from using students’ chosen names and pronouns, and prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts from public and charter K-12 schools. The lawsuit, filed by GSA Network and...
Read MoreFree Speech Crackdowns Across K-12 and Higher Education Intensify
As quickly as our union has been responding to the events from last week, it seems like state leaders are also working overtime to make educators’ lives harder. In just one week, two faculty members have been fired, the Lieutenant Governor established a new education committee in the House and...
Read MoreNEA/AFT Lawsuit over Sensitive-Locations Policy
On Sept. 10, 2025, the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers joined a federal lawsuit, PCUN v. Noem, arguing that protections long enjoyed by schools, hospitals, places of worship, and preschools against ICE enforcement should be restored. These protections were removed by the Trump administration, ending guidance that...
Read MoreSept. 19, 2025: Freedom of Speech
Friday, September 19, 2025 Freedom of Speech The headlines this week have been jaw-dropping. Educators in K-12 and higher education were subjected to baseless online smear campaigns, one university president resigned, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) now keeps a list of educators reported for their social media posts. Within...
Read MoreSBOE Recap: Forging Ahead on Social Studies
The State Board of Education (SBOE) met in Austin last week to discuss and take action on several topics, the most visible of which was the new social studies framework. Social Studies Framework Adopted The board conducted two separate discussions on the topic of how social studies will look and...
Read MoreTexas educators join lawsuit against discriminatory state law, SB 12
Today, Texas AFT joined ongoing litigation against Senate Bill 12, a new state law that bans gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs, prevents educators from using students’ chosen names and pronouns, and prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts from public and charter K-12 schools.
Read MoreTexas AFT condemns political witch hunt against Texas educators
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 13, 2025 CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org Texas formalizes online hate campaigns against individual teachers AUSTIN, Texas — In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination, private citizens of all political persuasions shared their thoughts on their personal social media accounts. A number of state representatives, including state...
Read MoreSB 13: Deep Dive into New School Library Restrictions
During the 89th legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 13, which significantly changes how public school libraries across the state select, review, and manage books and instructional materials. The law, which took effect on Sept. 1, creates new barriers to access and hands greater decision-making power to school...
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