A junior high school teacher is on suspension, awaiting termination after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with an adult high school student were confirmed by district officials.

BY WILLIAM PATRICK

Former language arts teacher Rebecca Huff takes over as principal of Elkhart Middle School, effective Monday. In December, members of the Elkhart school board offered her a one-year probationary contract.

Deputy Sheriff Pat Green travels to schools in Anderson County for 10-12 weeks in the fall and spring to teach elementary students that saying “no” to drugs is in their best interest—and she has no doubt that it works.

A Palestine High School student was injured in the woodshop class Thursday afternoon. The instructor, a certified Emergency Medical Technician, provided immediate care, the student was transported via Life Flight to Children's Medical Center in Dallas.

Most local superintendents oppose the new Texas Education Agency's rating system. By relying too heavily on test scores, they said, it fails to provide a balanced and accurate picture of student learning.

By LISA TANG

Thanks to a bonanza fundraiser, Operation Read has raised more than enough dough — $20,000 — to purchase four books for every pre-K, Kindergarten, first- and second-grade child in Palestine schools, including students in the Palestine and Westwood districts.

Aiden Jackson reads his own comic book replicated from Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants and the Talking Toilets.

Aiden Jackson, 10, didn't like to read, but he loved to draw. He drew cartoon characters and comics. He enjoyed cutting out paper figures, both in school and at home.

Texas ranks high for student bullying, but it is only one of eight states without both anti-bullying laws and policies. The other states without such policies: Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, Arizona, and North Carolina.

Most of them were not walking when what has come to be known as 9-11 happened, yet the cataclysm that changed this nation in so many ways has also helped define the post-911 generation.

By LISA TANG

Cayuga schools get tax boost

By LISA TANG

The University Academy has come a long way since last February, when students and parents heard rumors that their school, the former Innovation Academy, might close its doors.

Scott Nettles, the new Westwood High School principal, plans to keep an open door to students, teachers, and parents. Accessibility and leading by example, he said, will define his tenure and help prepare Westwood students for college.

Corporal Joseph Tinsley, of the Palestine Police Department, and Donna Thompson, director of Access of Anderson and Cherokee counties, teach educators at Palestine High School about bullying and intervention.

Two Palestine schools with low teacher salaries and predominant shares of low-income students – Southside Elementary and A.M. Story Intermediate – will receive $300,000 each from the School Transformation Fund of the Texas Education Agency. The state grants aim to improve student academic su…

Besides planning lessons for the new school year, area teachers are learning to recognize cyberbullying and how to effectively intervene when it happens.

Palestine High School and Junior High will twin and win this year with new principals Stephen Cooksey and Joey Mason.

Members of the Elkhart ISD Board of Trustees are scheduled to hire Lamont Smith as the district's superintendent at an Aug. 20 meeting. The new superintendent will start the next day, Aug. 21.

Plans for a new Innovation Academy in Palestine have finally been nailed down, with the expected move-in not occurring later than the fall of 2019.

R.J. DeFreece sensed an opportunity to make life a little easier for all parents when he watched his wife Jenifer complete more than 100 pages of student admission forms at the beginning of the school year for their six school-age children.

High-profile school shootings, including the Houston area mass shooting earlier this month that killed 10 people, has made safety a priority among school districts nationwide, including East Texas. One East Texas state representative, Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, has called for a special legisla…

Ray DeSpain resigned as superintendent of the Elkhart Independent School District, effective Aug. 31, after heading the district for more than six years. His resignation came at Monday night's School Board meeting.

Within the continued wake of school shootings, safety has become a priority among school districts nationwide, including East Texas.

Dr. Ray DeSpain resigned this week as superintendent of the Elkhart Independent School District due to family medical issues. The resignation will be effective August 31. The school board will begin a search for a new superintendent immediately.

Adrian Alonso, 32, has received marching orders to join Palestine ISD as the new director of bands, effective July 1. As director, he hopes to do much more than fill another person’s shoes.

Ricky Zhu, 16, enjoys science and math, but did not expect to excel at the state's 1-A University Interscholastic League academic competition in Austin this month. Even so, he placed second in chemistry and fifth in science.

The sheriff's department is wrapping up a year of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) this week with fifth and sixth-graders from four school districts in Anderson County.

The area's only open school board election closed Saturday, with two clear wins in positions 6 and 7 on the Elkhart ISD school board.

Seniors at Palestine High School saw RED on Thursday. It was right on time.

Oakwood Independent School District Superintendent Donny Lee has filed for a tax election on July 14 to increase tax earnings allocated to the district's maintenance funds – but without raising taxes.

Ten students received $1,000 scholarships at Thursday's Sunshine Guild luncheon in the Ben E. Keith Conference Room.

Of the four school boards scheduled to hold early elections this week, only one race remains. The Palestine, Westwood, and Grapeland school districts have canceled their elections; four candidates are vying for two seats in the Elkhart race.