Kelly Wiley

Manor ISD — one of the ISDs the AG alleges is "facilitating" student walkouts — said it is “confident the review will show that staff followed district procedures and [TEA] guidance [...] keeping student safety as the top priority...”
@kxan.com www.kxan.com/news/texas/t...

Amid statewide anti-ICE walkouts, Austin ISD released a new video asking students to stay in class.

"We've seen many of you find your own voices [...] At the same time, the frequency of these demonstrations is starting to cause a real disruption." bit.ly/4tEmkl0

NEW details in the TEA's investigation into educators accused of making inappropriate posts about Charlie Kirk. Records show some school districts reported employees for misconduct at the state’s direction, even as they questioned the legality of doing so. www.kxan.com/investigatio...

If you subscribe to @kxan.com’s investigative newsletter, you got a first look today at the latest social report from @kellywiley.bsky.social, @david-barer.bsky.social & Richie Bowes on student withdrawals. Sign up for future editions: kxan.com/newsletters. Explore the featured story: bit.ly/47ZyYlx

NEW: Every year, Texas collects data on why students leave school, with reasons ranging from transfers to private schools to death, but a KXAN investigation found the state is not tracking how often school districts withdraw students who miss too much class. bit.ly/3LrDWyG

Federal agents violently detained a food delivery driver as he emerged from a D.C. coffee shop Saturday morning.

The incident captured on video showed the officers throwing him to the ground and beating him before sweeping him away in an unmarked vehicle. wapo.st/45Egtkc

NEW: The Texas Education Agency released accountability ratings on Friday, showing how public schools performed in 2024 and 2025. The ratings paint a precarious picture for three Austin ISD campuses that have already undergone significant changes ahead of the new school year.
bit.ly/3JayQG6

NEW: Gov. Abbott said 161 people are believed to be missing in Kerr County alone as a result of this weekend's flash floods. Officials are asking anyone with information about someone who is unaccounted for to call 830-258-1111. www.kxan.com/central-texa... @kxan.com

Green ribbons are lining every tree and post outside Casis Elementary School tonight for 8-year-old Linnie McCown. Her family learned yesterday she did not survive the flash floods at Camp Mystic. www.kxan.com/news/local/f... @kxan.com

Family members confirm multiple girls attending Camp Mystic did not survive the catastrophic flooding that struck the area over the July 4th weekend. Multiple sources also confirm the camp’s longtime owner Dick Eastland died while trying to save campers. @kxan.com www.kxan.com/news/local/f...

DPS: Tip from suspect’s friend revealed threat to harm Texas lawmakers ahead of Capitol protest The Texas Department of Public Safety says a concerned citizen contacted local authorities to report a man was “on his way to the protest,” at the State Capitol in Austin Saturday and w…

NEW: We're learning more about the man accused of making a credible threat against Texas lawmakers. DPS troopers said they learned Robert Bowers, 45, sent messages to a friend that were interpreted as him wishing to inflict harm on state elected officials. @kxan.com bit.ly/3G2RIp2

The Texas DPS says a concerned citizen contacted local authorities to report a man was “on his way to the protest,” at the State Capitol in Austin Saturday and was “planning to harm state lawmakers” attending a protest there.
READ MORE @kxan.com: www.kxan.com/investigatio...

BREAKING: Texas Capitol evacuated ahead of No Kings protest, after DPS says credible threat made against lawmakers who were scheduled to speak at the event. Linked story has more details >>>

Video shows traffic stop near school that led to ICE sending family to Mexico The Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday released dash cam video showing the moment troopers and federal agents pulled over an undocumented couple in April in front of an Austin middle scho…

NEW: Texas DPS released video of the April traffic stop outside Dobie Middle School that resulted in federal authorities transporting a family of five, including two U.S.-born kids, to Mexico. www.kxan.com/news/new-vid...

‘In the dark’: Bills tracking impact of Texas’ truancy courts on kids not likely to pass Austin ISD is the largest school district in Central Texas, and the fight for its truancy data highlights how difficult it can be to understand the scope of Texas’s truancy system without accessibl…

No state agency in Texas tracks what happens to the thousands of students sent to truancy court each year, including whether court leads to better attendance.
Texas State Sen. Judith Zaffirini proposed a bill to change that, but it's unlikely to pass this session.
@kxan.com bit.ly/44GPgP7

Since January, we've been monitoring how the rescission of DHS's "protected areas" policy would impact Texas schools. This reporting seems especially timely after learning DHS and DPS detained parents close to an Austin ISD campus this month.
bit.ly/454DhLg @kxan.com
@cadamskxan.bsky.social

According to DPS, the stop happened near Dobie but not on school grounds. The agency has not said why they were operating in that area. The strike teams were developed at the direction of Gov. Abbott. www.kxan.com/news/texas/a...

SOURCES: ICE sends family of five to Mexico, including US-born kids, after DPS detainment near Austin school Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a mother and her three children, two of whom are U.S. citizens, following a traffic stop last week near Dobie Middle School in North Austin, according t…

THREAD: More context on the traffic stop near Dobie Middle School that led to ICE sending a family of five to Mexico. DPS said their strike team, working alongside Homeland Security Investigations, pulled the couple over for expired plates. www.kxan.com/news/sources...

NEW: ICE deported a family, including two U.S.-born kids, following a traffic stop last week near Dobie Middle School in north Austin, according to multiple sources, including the Texas Civil Rights Project and Immigrant Legal Resource Center. @kxan.com www.kxan.com/news/sources...

Data shows how far school choice funds will go with private special education programs in Texas According to a KXAN analysis of tuition information, even with help from the state, private schools will still be out of reach, physically and financially, for many low-income students with disabil…

How far will school choice funds go with Texas private schools? Our analysis focused on schools serving students with disabilities and those in Central TX. Many will still be out of reach for the state's poorest students w/o significant scholarships and aid. @kxan.com www.kxan.com/investigatio...

Inside the Investigation: The Texas Senate’s push to fix ‘pass the trash’ problem in schools After a KXAN investigation exposed how people can exploit the state’s backgrounding system, lawmakers are working on solutions. This week on Inside the Investigation, investigative reporter Kelly W…

WATCH — My discussion with @kxan.com Investigator @kellywiley.bsky.social about the legislative progress of a bill sparked by her reporting on school workers with questionable backgrounds: bit.ly/44qdQ6D #KXANinvestigates #txlege

LISTEN: Two new episodes of our @kxan.com Investigates Podcast this week, featuring stories and discussion from me, @kellywiley.bsky.social, Arezow Doost & Richie Bowes! LINK: kxan.com/kxan-investigates-podcast 🎧 #KXANinvestigates

Texas senators consider $10,000 fine for superintendents who don’t report suspected sexual misconduct At a Senate committee meeting on Tuesday, lawmakers showed bipartisan support for multiple bills that would increase penalties for school leaders who fail to report suspected sexual abuse and a bil…

Texas Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said he will introduce a new version of the bill this afternoon. Lawmakers also heard testimony about another bill this morning that would levy $10,000 fine on superintendents if they failed to report suspected abuse to law bit.ly/42s5Qj2 @kxan.com

Texas Senate bill seeks to expand access to state misconduct records after KXAN investigation A group of Texas lawmakers filed a bill on Thursday to expand access to state misconduct records. The move is in response to a KXAN investigation uncovering a former juvenile corrections officer wh…

NEW: A TX Senate committee will hear testimony on SB 571, which addresses issues with state Do-Not-Hire databases. The bill was filed after our investigation found a former TJJD JCO got a tutoring job despite TJJD determining he had an inappropriate relationship with a juvenile. bit.ly/425JOUc

Two new episodes out this week from @kellywiley.bsky.social, David Barer, @mattgrantkxan.bsky.social & Chris Nelson! Listen & subscribe to @kxan.com’s new investigative podcast today: kxan.com/kxan-investigates-podcast 🎧 #KXANinvestigates

Some Texas lawmakers want to overhaul school discipline. Many worry the plan goes too far While school choice takes center stage in the Texas legislature, a series of bills that would expand how a school district can discipline students is also moving forward. One proposed bill would al…

There's a lot of focus on school choice, but there's a series of bills that, if passed, will greatly impact how students can be disciplined. House Bill 6 advanced today. It would allow Texas school districts to petition a court to remove a student from a campus. www.kxan.com/investigatio...

Nikki - thank you for your kind words!!

New Texas bill could unlock ‘mystery’ of what happens to students in truancy court A state senator has filed legislation to shore up the state’s collection of truancy court information to provide lawmakers and education leaders a clearer picture of how the civil penalty system is…

NEW: TX Sen. @JudithZaffirini is proposing a bill to track what happens to minors sent to court over school absences. SB 1850 comes after @david-barer.bsky.social and my investigation found no state agency tracks court orders and student outcomes from truancy court. @kxan.com bit.ly/3QUxwHG

Her 12-year-old texted her about a school shooting. Police charged her kid with false alarm Last September, school districts across the state dealt with a cascade of threats. At least 17 Central Texas school districts fielded 56 threats in September alone, according to records obtained by…

In the middle of an uptick in reported school threats, Rosemary Moreno's 12-year-old texted her about a school shooting. She raced to her daughter's school, but by the end of the day, police charged and accused her child of making a false report. @kxan.com bit.ly/3XaT1Yi