Fort Worth ISD is navigating enrollment declines, curriculum controversies and legal battles as the state-appointed leadership tries to rebuild community trust. Here’s a roundup of the top education and childcare stories shaping the district and the region this week.
Here are key takeaways:
Fort Worth ISD will begin reassigning teachers across campuses after enrollment came in roughly 2,500 students below projection for the 2026-27 school year, with some classrooms holding over 35 students while others had fewer than 10.
Teachers were told in December 2025 they would get applied learning training over the summer, but the training never happened, and parents weren’t told about the change until back-to-school meetings — prompting at least one teacher resignation.
Licata is holding strategic action listening sessions, including one Aug. 27 at Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, and told attendees Fort Worth ISD is the worst-performing urban district in Texas for students reading on grade level.
A federal judge dismissed a First Amendment lawsuit from former principal Shayma Alzubi, who was reassigned after backlash over social media posts about Sharia law and Black Lives Matter — U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman ruled personnel matters of public agencies don’t rise to federal judicial review.
Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School principal Paola Rodriguez was placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons, with executive director Rian Townsend stepping in as acting principal.
Two Texas children have died in hot cars in 2026, including a 5-year-old girl in Garland — car temperatures can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes, and children’s bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults, Cook Children’s Medical Center says.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.