HTX-WDL: Impact 8/25/2025

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Conroe ISD expanded its cellphone policy after Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1481 on June 20, which requires school districts to prohibit students from using personal communication devices such as cellphones and smartwatches on campus during the school day.

What you need to know: Each district’s device policy must outline disciplinary measures for violations, according to the bill.

A closer look: "Overall, HB 1481 will have minimal impact on Conroe ISD, as the district already had an established electronic device policy. Under the existing guidelines, students in grades pre-K-6 could only use cellphones before or after school, students in grades 7-8 were allowed use during lunch, and high school students could use them during passing periods and lunch," Mark A. Murrell, CISD's executive director of operations, said to Community Impact.  

A land swap first envisioned in 2023 has neared completion with the unveiling of the Kevin Brady Library and Community Center in the Grogan’s Mill Village Center.

At a glance: Following the 2020 closing of a Randalls store, the site was transformed through a $16.5 million partnership between Montgomery County and Howard Hughes over the past year.

A long time coming: While the center was initially deed-restricted to house a grocery store anchor, that requirement was waived as part of the land swap deal, Community Impact previously reported.

“Years of attempts, both by the previous owner and us to bring a grocer to the center were unsuccessful, but we knew that there needed to be an anchor to bring traffic in order to support the other retailers and restaurants there,” said Jim Carman, president of the Houston region of Howard Hughes.

FS8 The Woodlands is coming soon. 

At a glance: FS8 offers low-impact and high-energy training that was developed for every body, according to the company. The FS8 website states the company has a fitness program combining elements of Pilates, tone and yoga.

• Opening in October
• 30420 FM 2978, The Woodlands

Lone Star College System is moving forward with plans to offer a new bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with help from a $200,000 grant from Houston Endowment, according to an Aug. 13 news release. 

The details: The grant will help fund consulting services and curriculum development for the degree program, as stated in the release.
The Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching will serve early childhood-grade 3 and early childhood-grade 6. The degree is expected to launch in fall 2026 with an initial cohort of 150 students, pending approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as well as the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, per the release. 

Diving in deeper: The bachelor’s degree would become the fifth bachelor’s program in the college system’s offerings, which includes cybersecurity, emergency management, energy and trades management and nursing, according to the release.