During its Nov. 11 meeting, the Northside ISD board of trustees received an update on the district’s security, which listed a series of measures the district is taking to increase student safety, including closing high school campuses during lunch periods beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

What’s happening? Presented by Jo Ann Fey, deputy superintendent for administration, the presentation included updates on door monitoring alarms, secure entries, high school lunches, school flasher lights, crossing guard staffing and hazardous route determination.

For campus entry points, Fey said all door monitoring alarm systems have been fully installed and are currently being programmed to meet specific campus needs.

The district will also make changes to the high school lunch procedure beginning in the 2026-27 school year by closing campuses at certain high schools. Affected campuses will be announced in January.

The conditions: NISD is also in discussion with the city of San Antonio about amending an ordinance so school zone flasher lights will be activated during lunch periods at John Jay and Holmes high schools. 

A new dental practice has opened to the community in the Castle Hills area of Northern San Antonio.

Called Wellness Pediatric Dentistry and Airway, the business opened on Dec. 1 at 2211 NW Military Hwy., Ste. 119 in the Castle Hills Market strip mall.

What’s special about it? “We're going to offer holistic pediatric dentistry, including fluoride-free options and biocompatible materials,” Owner and practicing dentist Christi Wengler told Community Impact in an email.

The clinic’s main focus is pediatric patients below 17 years old, with standard cleanings, check-ups, exams and in-house sedation plus comfort options.

Additional treatments include “airway evaluation and treatment, including palate expansion, Invisalign and minimally invasive dentistry,” Wengler said.

The context: The clinic is one of four that have expanded into the North San Antonio area over the last few months, according to previous reporting from Community Impact.

• 2211 NW Military Hwy., Ste. 119, Castle Hills

Year over year, the number of homes sold decreased in the 78108, 78154 and 78233 ZIP codes, according to the most recent data compiled by the San Antonio Board of Realtors.

Some details: The average prices of homes listed for sale in the Northeast San Antonio Metro area over the past six months were between $159,000-$387,000.

In November, the majority of homes sold in the Northeast San Antonio Metrocom were in the $200,000 to $399,999 price range.

Texas can use its newly redrawn congressional map in the 2026 elections, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Dec. 4.

The background: State lawmakers approved the new congressional boundaries this summer, after President Donald Trump asked them to produce a new map in an attempt to help Republicans maintain a narrow majority in the U.S. House, Community Impact previously reported. Texas Republicans have said they hoped the map would help the GOP secure 30 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats, up from 25 Republican-held seats today.

What's happening: The Supreme Court's ruling overturns a Nov. 18 injunction from an El Paso federal court, which deemed Texas’ redistricting plan "racially gerrymandered” and directed officials to use a 2021 congressional map instead.

“The District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections,” the Supreme Court said in the unsigned Dec. 4 order.

The order comes just four days before the Dec. 8 deadline for Texas candidates to file to run in the March primary elections.