ATX-PFH: Impact 9/10/2025

Hutto ISD officials approved an update to the district's innovation plan in August, amid legislative changes passed in the 89th Texas Legislature, which concluded June 2. 

What you need to know: Trustees approved a revised version of HISD's District of Innovation plan Aug. 28, which includes new exemptions to policies guiding library materials acquisition and grievances, among other minor changes.

Saint Joan of Arc Episcopal Church recently moved from its location on Picadilly Court in Pflugerville to a new space on FM 685, in an effort to be more accessible.

The gist: The church, which holds services every Sunday at 10 a.m., was first established in 2019 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. 

“It is our hope this venue will be more convenient for folks seeking a church which offers a safe, accepting, radically inclusive, and Christ-centered worship environment,” said Dale Curry, senior warden.

Austin-based private school Alpha School is aiming to expedite learning for more students using artificial intelligence at new academies opening across the country.

What happened: On Sept. 9, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Alpha School in Austin alongside Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price highlighted how the school is using AI to personalize and improve students’ education.

What they're saying: “It's the most exciting thing I've seen in education in a long time,” McMahon said about Alpha School. “I'm incredibly enthusiastic about this.”

How it works: Students complete their academic learning in two hours each day using an AI platform known as 2 Hour Learning. Price said the Alpha School model enables students to learn twice as fast as they would in a traditional school setting.

Most Texas public schools are required to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms under Senate Bill 10, a state law that took effect Sept. 1.

The details: On Aug. 20, a Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the following 11 school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments:

• Alamo Heights ISD
• Austin ISD
• Cy-Fair ISD
• Dripping Springs ISD
• Fort Bend ISD
• Houston ISD
• Lackland ISD
• Lake Travis ISD
• North East ISD
• Northside ISD
• Plano ISD