North - Northwest Austin Edition | October 2024

Education

BY BRITTANY ANDERSON & HANNAH NORTON

Austin-area districts see uptick in school threats Local districts have seen an uptick in stu- dent-made threats against schools since the start of the academic year, Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura said. Diving in deeper Ocials with several local districts held a press conference Sept. 20 to address these threats. AISD is one of many Austin-metro school districts that have arrested students for making threats. Accord- ing to Travis County District Attorney José Garza, there are at least 30 cases pending in the DA oce related to these threats. AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said that all threats will be investigated and pursued, regardless of when they occur. Law enforcement agencies are working late hours to investigate, putting a weight on their resources, Segura said. For both adults and juveniles, if there

Students can now view automatic school acceptance

“Many of us are running decit budgets at this moment and so this additional

cost is something that isn’t budgeted for. But, we have to ensure that our ocers are paid to do this very important work.” MATIAS SEGURA, AUSTIN ISD SUPERINTENDENT

Texas high school students can now see which of the state’s public universities would accept them before they submit college appli- cations, state ocials announced Oct. 11. Students who submit academic infor- mation—like their grade point average, class rank and standardized test scores—to the state’s new Direct Admissions portal will receive a list of where they qualify for automatic acceptance, according to a news release. Thirty-one of Texas’ 37 public universities participate in the program. Students can begin using Direct Admis- sions at the end of their junior year. Once a student receives their admissions list, they must still submit an application.

is probable cause to believe they committed a crime, Garza said they will be arrested. The juvenile arrest process, however, diers. After a juvenile is detained, a detention hearing is held to determine probable cause, risk to the community is assessed and a decision is made on whether to continue detaining the juvenile. Garza said juveniles are also entitled to detention hearings every 10 days. Ocials have asked parents to talk to their children about responsible social media use and making inappropriate jokes.

Unmatched Academic Results Come tour a campus and see for yourself!

Challenger School offers uniquely fun and academic programs for preschool to eighth grade students. Our students learn to think for themselves and to value independence.

Avery Ranch (PS–G8) (512) 341-8000 15101 Avery Ranch Boulevard, Austin Round Rock (PS–G1) (512) 255-8844 1521 Joyce Lane, Round Rock Spicewood Springs (PS–K) (512) 258-1299 13015 Pond Springs Road, Austin

An independent private school offering preschool through eighth grade

NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION