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Texas News
‘Cruel and Vindictive’: Immigrant Youth Rally Outside Houston Courthouse After Federal Judge Strikes Down DACA
Immigrant-rights activists rallied outside a Houston courthouse on Monday demanding the Biden administration act swiftly to protect them after a federal judge halted an Obama-era program that provides deportation relief and work permits to hundreds of thousands of undocumented residents brought here as children.

“It hurts deeply that my home state, the place I’ve grown up in and have grown to love, is the one leading the charge against me and my right to live and work,” Susana Lujano, a 28-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, said at the gathering organized by the immigrant-rights group United We Dream. Lujano, who has lived in Texas since she was 2, called the latest ruling — one in a long series that has left the fate of the so-called Dreamers in turmoil — “cruel and vindictive.”
A San Antonio Mental Health Desert Became a Beacon of Counseling Services for Thousands of Children and Families — Just as the Pandemic Hit
For years, kids in Veronica Salgado’s “transition camps” have enrolled because they are anxious about making the challenging leap from elementary to middle school, or from middle to high school.

But this summer, after more than a year of isolation, the struggle to keep up with online learning and little contact with friends, Salgado, Youth Development Manager for Family Service Association, and her team are seeing bigger problems than just helping kids figure out how to find their lockers or make new friends.
San Marcos CISD employees will receive $250 bonus for receiving COVID-19 vaccine
The San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to approve a one-time $250 stipend for all employees who receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

The bonus will be paid out in the fall and will apply to all workers who received their vaccine, including retroactive pay to the employees who received their shots prior to the announcement. Employees who opt out of the vaccine due to health or religious reasons will also receive a check.
Texas foster care crisis worsens, with fast-growing numbers of children sleeping in offices, hotels, churches
Increased oversight and lack of funding mean hundreds of children spend their nights in hotels and churches and on office floors.

Prince Hayward was 6 or 7 years old the first time he spent the night on an office floor.

Hayward was ushered into a common area, and a caseworker fished out a mat for him to sleep on. His parents had lost temporary custody of him — again. The caseworker moved to another room, and Hayward lay there under the fluorescent lights, alone and wondering where he’d end up next.
Can This Houston-Born COVID Vaccine Save the Developing World?
For low-income countries, the less-expensive, easier-to-make Corbevax could prove a godsend.

When 92 guests gathered for a recent Houston wedding, they thought they were doing everything right. The happy couple had required all who wished to attend to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Those arriving from overseas had tested negative before boarding their international flights. The wedding took place outdoors, where transmission of the novel coronavirus is far less likely. And 92 guests isn’t exactly huge, in wedding terms.
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Supporting Your Career
The Biggest Error Thousands Of Professionals Make On LinkedIn Each Day
As most professionals know, LinkedIn has become a massively powerful professional tool—for connecting with colleagues and mentors, building personal brands, sharing company’s stories, eliciting interest from potential customers, clients, recruiters and hiring managers, sharing thought leadership and more. And LinkedIn is growing. Some recent statistics from BusinessofApps.com reveal that LinkedIn generated $8 billion revenue in 2020, an increase of 19% year-on-year.
National News
64% of Top Districts to Hold Virtual Academies this Fall, Option May Entice Families as Delta Variant Concerns Mount
Nearly two-thirds of top districts will offer students the option to learn in stand-alone, remote academies next school year, according to a recent tally from Burbio, a website that tracks school calendars and reopenings.

Of the 200 largest U.S. school systems, 128 will hold virtual programs this fall, while 60 — such as those in New York City, Newark and Chicago — will offer no fully remote options, save for medical exceptions for immunocompromised students. Another 12 have yet to announce their plans.
Ed Dept reiterates obligations to 2020 Title IX amendments until new proposal
In a statement, the Department of Education said the Q&A aims to assist schools, students and others by highlighting areas in which schools may have discretion in their procedures for responding to reports of sexual harassment. The Q&A also includes examples of policy language — taken from a variety of schools across the country — for procedures in addressing reports and complaints of sexual harassment, including sexual violence, for both K-12 and postsecondary schools.

The 2020 amendments went into effect last August at the same time that school leaders were addressing pandemic-related challenges. Several state attorneys general sued then-U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to prevent the amendments from taking effect but lost in court. 
Superintendents Have Weathered a Lot of Vitriol This Year. What Have We Learned?
There was no good playbook for running a district during a catastrophe

As I reflect on leading during the pandemic, I am reminded of a scene from the historical drama “The Crown.” In a fictionalized exchange between Queen Elizabeth II and then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the queen cautions Thatcher about making enemies. The prime minister responds with the following poem by the 19th-century Scottish poet and journalist Charles Mackay, the author of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, an early study of crowd psychology.
A lack of diversity in research and analytics is not just unethical — it is dangerous
We must create better school pipelines for people of color in STEM fields

Technology keeps advancing exponentially, making this an inspiring and high-stakes era. The STEM disciplines and social sciences significantly influence the trajectory of American society and the global community in ways that other sectors and fields of exploration cannot match.  

Today, people of color are underrepresented in all aspects of STEM, including academia, business, research, technology and more. 
National Park Foundation celebrates a decade of preserving Latino history and culture in national parks
In honor of Latino Conservation Week, hosted by the Hispanic Access Foundation and celebrated July 17 to 25, the National Park Foundation (NPF) announced it is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Latino Heritage Fund throughout 2021. Established in 2011, and originally called the American Latino Heritage Fund, the fund’s mission is to preserve Latino history and elevate Latinos’ stories and contributions to the U.S., past and present, through national parks. Thanks to the generosity of NPF Board Directors Patty Arvielo and Mindy Burbano Stearns, NPF is increasing philanthropic support for the fund.
Las Tienditas
This Week’s Featured Sponsor
TALAS sponsors make this newsletter and other TALAS activities possible. Please support them. Click on the logo to learn more!
Securly is the end-to-end student safety and device management platform for K–12. Our 360º approach touches every aspect of the learning experience—from filtering to device management to self-harm detection.

  • In schools, IT administrators get simple implementation and a single dashboard to manage their networks and 1:1 devices.
  • Educators get tools to keep students productive and on-task in the classroom.
  • Counselors get insight into the mental health of their students.
  • Superintendents get data to make better decisions for the future of their districts.
  • And at home, parents get control and peace of mind—with full visibility into their childrens’ activities on school-issued devices.

We are a team of parents, educators, and technologists. We recognize the challenges IT administrators and educators face each day. By empowering those who serve students, we can foster safe and focused learning environments, while keeping students healthy and engaged.

Always connected, always protected.