Tag Archives: Millard House

HISD may lift the mask mandate after spring break

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable. Houston ISD students will get an extra day spring holiday and will complete the last day of the first semester before the winter break next school year under a calendar approved by the board of trustees Thursday. The … Continue reading →

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Back to school, kids

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’ll probably be fine. And honestly, there’s no appetite for anything else. Most of Texas’ roughly 1,200 school districts will welcome students and staff back within the next week, even as other states debate whether to mandate vaccines for teachers … Continue reading →

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HISD will not lift its mask mandate

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like an easy call at this point. The Houston Independent School District will maintain its mask mandate and offer free COVID testing at campuses for students and staff in 2022, Superintendent Millard House II announced last week. House previously … Continue reading →

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Indictments and guilty pleas in FBI investigation of former HISD officials

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Woof. A former top Houston ISD official and vendor were indicted Thursday in connection with an alleged bribery scheme over the last decade that federal prosecutors estimate cost the district millions of dollars and resulted in plea agreements with at … Continue reading →

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HISD will keep its mask mandate

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is in response to that recent Fifth Circuit ruling about mask mandates in schools and whether Greg Abbott’s ban on them violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Houston Independent School District will keep its mask mandate in place, … Continue reading →

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HISD will consider lifting its mask mandate

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

After the holidays, depending on how things go. Houston ISD will consider changing its mask mandate policy after the winter break in the wake of expanded vaccine eligibility for youngsters and improving pandemic conditions in the city, Superintendent Millard House II said Monday. … Continue reading →

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Runoffs will be on December 11

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As is usually the case, the second Sunday in December for municipal and school board/community college runoffs. Runoff elections will be held Dec. 11, the Harris County Elections Department announced Friday. Four Houston ISD board seats, and individual council races … Continue reading →

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Superintendent House’s listening tour

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I like what he’s been doing. During his first week as Houston ISD’s superintendent in July, Millard House II said he welcomed feedback from everyone, especially those who long have been left out of important discussions. He has been receiving … Continue reading →

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More on the Mac Walker ballot name situation

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good move by HISD. Houston ISD on Tuesday took responsibility for failing to include the nickname of a trustee candidate when it entered his name in a county elections office portal. Lee “Mac” Walker, vying for district 7, said last … Continue reading →

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Looking for the missing students

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More important than usual this year. The state’s largest school district recorded a first-day enrollment of 172,091 students, a significant decrease compared with previous years. It is not uncommon for enrollment to lag, even to its lowest point of the … Continue reading →

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We really need a mask mandate at every school district

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Or we can just accept a lot more hospitalized kids. Easy choice if you ask me. The number of Texas children hospitalized with COVID-19 hit an all-time high over the weekend, with 345 on Saturday and 307 on Sunday, the … Continue reading →

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HISD starts its year

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck, kids. You too, parents. For the second straight year, Houston ISD is set to welcome back nearly 200,000 students in the midst of a pandemic. The similarities between last year and Monday’s reopening end there, however. HISD entered … Continue reading →

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Yes, the wastewater is also pointing to a COVID surge

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. There is more COVID-19 in the city’s wastewater system now than at any time in the pandemic, city officials said Wednesday, the latest warning that the virus is spreading at an unprecedented rate. Dr. David … Continue reading →

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HISD warns of “consequences” for not complying with their mask mandate

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Consequences are, well, a natural consequence of non-compliance. Houston ISD students and employees who refuse to wear masks when the school year begins could face discipline and be forced to temporarily learn online under new guidelines released by the district. … Continue reading →

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Harris County sues Abbott and issues a mask mandate

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Quite the busy day yesterday. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday issued a mandatory mask order for Harris County schools and daycares, joining the chorus of elected officials in the Texas’ larges cities in defying Gov. Greg Abbott’s order … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend joins the lawsuit parade

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Come on in, the water’s fine. As the Delta variant drives a pandemic surge, Fort Bend County officials on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning local government from implementing public health mandates. “I’ll do all … Continue reading →

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Dallas ISD to require masks

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Starting Tuesday, Dallas ISD will require students and teachers to wear masks at its campuses, defying Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that bars districts from issuing mask mandates. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announced the change during a Monday morning … Continue reading →

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There needs to be more defiance of Greg Abbott and his no-mandates mandate

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I find a bit of a pattern in this story and wonder if there may be something to it. School districts, local officials and hospitals are pushing back on Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order barring mask and vaccine mandates, setting … Continue reading →

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HISD to consider mask mandate

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a big deal, for all the obvious reasons. Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II said Thursday he plans to bring a mask mandate for ratification to the district’s board meeting next week, setting the stage for the … Continue reading →

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Will Delta change HISD’s plans?

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Remains to be seen. Houston Independent School District Superintendent Millard House II released a video Saturday confirming that the district’s “communicable disease team” is still fully operational as the district works to update its COVID-19 plan for the start of … Continue reading →

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How HISD intends to spend its COVID relief money

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable. Houston ISD expects to spend $1.2 billion of federal relief shoring up academic losses from the pandemic under a wide-ranging plan that would target accelerated instruction to kids that have fallen behind, bolster tutoring and after-school services, seek … Continue reading →

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Superintendent House has arrived

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s got a lot of work in front of him. When Millard House II officially [started] as the new superintendent of Houston ISD on Thursday, he [had] a stack of challenges awaiting his attention. Some students fell further behind during … Continue reading →

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Millard House officially approved as HISD Superintendent

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome aboard. Millard House II will become Houston ISD’s new superintendent on July 1, following the district’s school board unanimously vote Monday to make his selection official. The pro forma vote follows the naming of House as HISD’s lone superintendent … Continue reading →

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More on Millard House

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron does a profile of the finalist for the HISD Superintendent job. Early in his tenure as an associate superintendent with Oklahoma’s Tulsa Public Schools, Millard House II found himself thrust into an education administrator’s nightmare: closing campuses and … Continue reading →

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HISD names its Superintendent

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to Houston, Millard House II. I hope the state lets you stay. Houston ISD trustees unanimously voted Friday to name Millard House II as their lone superintendent finalist, tapping the leader of Tennessee’s Clarksville-Montgomery County School System to guide … Continue reading →

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