What Texas law mandates lockdown drills in public schools?

From AI overview:

Texas public schools are mandated to conduct lockdown drills under Texas Education Code § 37.114 and administrative rules established through 19 Texas Administrative Code § 103.1209, which implement statewide safety standards. [1]

Key Mandate Details

- Frequency: Schools must conduct at least two lockdown drills per school year (one per semester) as outlined by the Texas School Safety Center. [1, 2]
- Requirements: Per TEC § 37.114 and state rules, total emergency safety drills are capped (maximum of 16 drills per year), and active aggressor roleplaying with live simulations involving students is strictly prohibited. [1, 2]
- Accommodations: Recent updates (such as SB 57) also require that these mandatory drills provide proper accommodations for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans. [1, 2]


Additional Readings:

- 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 103.1209 - Mandatory School Drills.

- Texas School Safety Center. 

- - 3.0 Lockdown Drills.

- REQUIREMENTS FOR MANDATORY SCHOOL DRILLS.

- History for 87(R) HB 1016 by Ordaz.

From the Financial Times: Is the world really drowning in debt?

- Click here for the article.  

Updates on the Paxton / Talarico race.

Dear ChatGPT: 


- How has the Talarico campaign been adjusted over the past two weeks? Provide references and additional readings. 

- - What PACs and SuperPACs support Talarico? Provide references and additional readings.

- How has the Paxton campaign been adjusted over the past two weeks? Provide references and additional readings.

- - What is the Texas PAC? Outline its history. Who created it? Who funds it? What are its goals? How does it implements them? What activites is it involved in during the 2026 election cycle? Provide references and additional readings.

From the Washington Post: Jack Smith clashes with senators over Trump probes, says he will not be silenced

An extra constitutional check and balance. 

- Click here for the article. 

From U.S. Senate: Hearings & Meetings.

From the New York Times: Senate Resoundingly Approves Sweeping College Sports Measure

Regarding last week's written assignment.

- Click here for the article.  

The Senate on Monday approved a sweeping remake of collegiate sports regulations in an effort to restore stability to an athletic landscape that has been upended by constant transfers, frequent shifts in conference membership and an infusion of money from wealthy boosters eager to lure top talent.

Known as the Protect College Sports Act, the bill passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 77 to 22, making it one of the last major pieces of business to be tackled by lawmakers before the midterm elections. It was a bid by Congress to lay out significant new rules and standards governing popular college sports that are a mainstay of American life as well as a path to an education for student athletes.

Authors of the legislation, which faces an uncertain future in the House, said aggressive congressional intervention was necessary because a series of legal rulings had sowed chaos in college sports. They warned that the current financial path of colleges and universities was unsustainable, would decrease competition and could cause schools to jettison less popular sports that were not as lucrative as football.

“It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and it is only Congress that can fix it,” said Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, a chief proponent of the bill.

Dear ChatGPT: List the interests that either support or oppose the Protect College Sports Act. Detail their reasoning.

- What’s actually in the Senate bill that’s supposed to stop the madness in college sports?.

- Protect College Sports Act passes Senate: Historic bill takes first step, but uncertainty awaits in House.

Fro Space Daily: The United States is replacing every official latitude, longitude and height it publishes, existing coordinates will move by as much as four meters, and the million survey marks in the ground will no longer be what the system is measured from

- Click here for it.

Every official latitude, longitude and height published in the United States is going to change, by as much as four meters. The ground being described will not have moved at all. What is being replaced is the reference system those numbers are counted from.

The National Geodetic Survey is retiring the North American Datum of 1983 and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. Those are the horizontal and vertical reference systems that currently underpin surveying, flood mapping, construction and aviation across the country. In their place will come four new terrestrial reference frames and one new geopotential datum. The agency has kept the national reference system since its predecessor, the Survey of the Coast, was founded in 1807.

. . . NGS gives several reasons for the change, among them alignment with international standards and with satellite systems that orbit the Earth’s center. Two of the reasons are systematic errors built into systems that were defined before satellite positioning was routine.

The first is horizontal. NAD 83 was fixed when the center of the Earth could not be located with the precision satellites later supplied, and its origin does not sit where the center of the Earth is now understood to be. The agency’s summary puts the misalignment at about 2.2 meters.

- Wikipedia: U.S. National Geodetic Survey.

- US Constitution: Article 1.

- US Constitution: Article 2.

- US Constitution: Article 3.

Also

- - U.S. Code.

- - Rules of the House of Representatives.

- - RULES OFTHE SENATE.

- Texas Constitution: Article 3.

- Texas Constitution: Article 4.

- Texas Constitution: Article 5.

Also: Texas Government Code.

- Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

- The Federalist Papers : No. 51.

- Dear ChatGPT: Who developed the concept of the iron triangle?

- Dear ChatGPT: Detail the history of the Uniform Fire Code. Provide references and additional readings.

- Dear ChatGPT: Detail the history of the Uniform Building Code. Provide references and additional readings.

Catching up with The Texas Tribune:

- Corpus Christi’s water crisis serves as a warning and a roadmap for others.
- - Texas 2036, Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy.
- - Center for Water Supply Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
- - . . . local elected officials “need to get out of the water business,”
- - . . . groundwater reform and seawater desalination as key issues for the next legislative session . . .

- Catholic Charities leader says feds have lifted a ban on funding for the nonprofit.
- - Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley
- - now allowed to bid and receive grants from the federal government.
- - U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- - U.S. Customs and Border Protection

- Cattle associations say ICE operations are disrupting Texas agriculture industry, will cause higher beef prices.
- - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- - Texas Cattle Feeders Association
- - Kansas Livestock Association
- - Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association
- - supply chain
- - stable workforce
- - “We urge federal officials to conduct enforcement actions in a lawful, orderly, and transparent manner; respect due process; and communicate clearly with affected employers and communities,” the organizations said in their statement.
- - Dear ChatGPT: Detail the beef industry in the United States and Texas. Provide references and additional readings.
- - Dear ChatGPT: What assistance does the government of the United States and the government of Texas provide for the beef industry? Provide references and additional readings.

From Wikipedia: List of United States federal judges by longevity of service

For look at checks and balances.

Lifetime ternure for federal judges is intended to ensure they can no longer by influenced by the president who has appointed them to office.

- Click here for the entry. 

Dear ChatGPT: Why should the judiciary be insulated from the executive department?

Welcom to the 1950s

 

- Wikipedia: Rabbit Ears.

Dear ChatGPT: What were James Madison's financial interests around the time of the writing or the US Constitution? Provide references and additional readings.

- Click here for the response. 

Additional Prompts: 

- In Federalist 10 James Madison mentions "wicked projects" including "A rage for paper money." What was he refering to specifically? Provide references and additional readings.

- - Additional readings: 

- - - the postwar debt crisis.

- - - debtor-relief laws.

- - - Rhode Island’s paper-money policy

- - - Article I, Section 10 forbids states to “emit Bills of Credit.

- - Protesters in Shays’s Rebellion sought relief from taxes, debts, and foreclosures and shut courts to prevent collections.

- In Federalist 10 James Madison mentions "wicked projects" including "A rage for . . . an abolition of debts." What was he refering to specifically? Provide references and additional readings.

- - Additional readings: 

- - - Debtor relief took several forms:

- - - - delaying collection through installment laws,

- - - - accepting property instead of money as payment,

- - - - issuing paper money that creditors had to accept, or

- - - - preventing courts from hearing collection cases.

- In Federalist 10 James Madison mentions "wicked projects" including "A rage for . . . an equal division of property." What was he refering to specifically? Provide references and additional readings.

- - Additonal readings: 

- - - agrarian law

- - - leveling scheme

- - - The leveling spirit

- - - In 1787 John Adams described a possible sequence in which a propertyless voting majority would first abolish debts and ultimately vote to divide property equally.

From 9.23.2026

- Wikipedia: Debtors' prison.

- Wikipedia: Salem witch trials.

- Wikipedia: Lynching in the United States.

- Wikipedia: Red Summer.

From the Washington Post: ‘I am the code’: Trump clashed with ballroom architect over safety issues

Worth a look. 

- Click here for the article. 

Since Washington DC is the only city chartered by the national government, it's not a great example of local government's relationship with the national government overall, but it helps us understand what local governments do. 

- ChatGPT: What is the legal status of Washington DC? Provide references and additional material.

- ChatGPT: What court cases have impacted the relationship between Washington DC and the national government.

- Wikipedia: District of C.olumbia Home Rule Act.

Dear ChatGPT: What is a sports agent? What are their responsibilities? What state and federal laws impact the profession?

This applies to a couple of your weekly written assignments.

- Click here for the answer. 

Bottom line

Sports agents operate under four overlapping systems:

1 - Agency and fiduciary law governs the agent’s loyalty and care toward the athlete.
2 - State athlete-agent statutes govern registration, recruiting, contract disclosures, and penalties.
3 - Federal law, especially SPARTA, regulates dealings with student-athletes and related deceptive practices.
4 - Union, league, conference, school, and governing-body rules determine whether an agent can participate in a particular sport and what the agent may do.

The most important practical distinction is that registration as an athlete agent does not automatically authorize the person to practice law, manage investments, sell insurance, or negotiate in a unionized league without union certification.

Additional readings

- Federal SPARTA statute, 15 U.S.C. Chapter 104
- FTC SPARTA materials
- Uniform Law Commission—Athlete Agents Act
- Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 2051
- Texas Secretary of State—Athlete Agents
- NFLPA—Becoming a Certified Agent

From the New York Times: Judge Appears Skeptical of Trump’s Ban on 3 Media Outlets

I think a timeline would be a useful way to see how the checks and balances are working themselves out in this conflict. 

- Click here for the article.  

- Judge Blocks Trump’s White House Ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

A federal judge on Thursday said that President Trump’s order barring CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House was likely unconstitutional and ordered the administration to restore access to the three news outlets.

Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court in Washington granted a 14-day restraining order and told the White House to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the press credentials held by employees of the three outlets.

The news organizations were likely to succeed in their claim that the White House had violated their constitutional due process rights by revoking their press credentials without advance notice or an opportunity to respond, Judge Kelly wrote in the order issued in the early hours of Thursday.

He also rejected, for now, the administration’s argument that revoking the outlets’ press credentials was necessary to protect national security.

- Read the Court Order Blocking Trump’s White House Ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order and told the White House to immediately restore press credentials for the three news outlets.

From the New York Times: White House Says Access Is a ‘Privilege’ in Court Filing Defending Media Ban

- What is a privilege? 

- What is the differnce between a privilege and a right?

- Click here for the article. 

White House officials said in a court filing Tuesday that President Trump had determined that CNN, MS NOW and Politico had breached standards of conduct, leading to their expulsion from the White House grounds.

The alleged violations, said the filing, include “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.”

“Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right,” reads the filing, which argues that Mr. Trump’s action against the three news outlets does not violate the First Amendment and aligns with a long history of presidents favoring some journalists over others.

The filing, furthermore, claims that the White House’s denial of access is a preliminary matter and that the outlets have until Friday to contest the decision.

Passions and Interests in the U.S. Senate race in Texas

- Fed 10.

By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

- ChatGPT: What interests are aligned with Ken Paxton? 

- ChatGPT: What interests are aligned with James Talarico? 

- ChatGPT: What passions are aligned with Ken Paxton?

- ChatGPT: What passions are aligned with James Talarico?  

The White House Press Pool

What is it and why has it been suspended? 

- Wikipedia: Press Pool. 

- White House Correspondents Assoviation.

- ChatGPT: Explain the development of the White House Press Pool.

- Politico: Major TV networks decline White House pool duties.

- New York Times: Networks Suspend Pool Coverage of Trump After White House Bars CNN.

- New York Times: 3 News Outlets Sue Trump in Widening Fight Over Press Freedom.

__________

Related Questions: 

- ChatGPT: Does the exclusion of CNN, MSNow, and Politico from the White House Press Corp violate constitutional rights to a free press? Provide arguments fro and against. Provide references and additional material.

Dear ChatGPT: What written communications skills are best suited to a government class?

ACC's government department had been asked to focus on "communication" as a core objective in the class. Written communication specifically. I thought AI could give me a good start, thought I'd share.

- Click here for the full response.

The written communication skills best suited to a government class are those that teach students to explain institutions, evaluate evidence, construct arguments, and communicate with public officials and citizens.

- Clear explanatory writing: Describe a law, institution, political process, or court decision accurately in plain language.

-  Thesis development: State a specific, defensible answer to a political or constitutional question.

-  Evidence-based argumentation: Support claims with constitutional provisions, statutes, court opinions, government data, and credible scholarship.

-  Source evaluation: Distinguish primary sources from secondary commentary and assess authority, bias, methodology, currency, and corroboration.

- Constitutional and statutory interpretation: Analyze the text, structure, historical context, precedent, and practical consequences of legal provisions.

-  Policy analysis: Define a public problem, identify stakeholders, compare policy alternatives, and evaluate costs, benefits, feasibility, and unintended consequences.

-  Comparative analysis: Explain meaningful similarities and differences—for example, between federal and Texas institutions or between competing policy proposals.

-  Research and citation: Locate authoritative information, integrate it responsibly, distinguish quotation from paraphrase, and cite sources consistently.

- Concise professional writing: Communicate complicated information efficiently through executive summaries, briefing memos, issue briefs, and legislative summaries.

-  Audience awareness: Adjust language, detail, tone, and organization for classmates, voters, elected officials, agency personnel, or a general public audience.

-  Civic correspondence: Write effective letters or emails to public officials that clearly state the issue, position, evidence, and requested action.

-  Revision and editing: Improve organization, clarity, accuracy, grammar, transitions, and evidentiary support after receiving feedback.

From the New York Times:

- Takeaways From the Fed’s Decision to Raise Interest Rates.

- The Subtle Sign That A.I. Is Not Yet a National Political Issue.

From last semester's written assignments:

Little v. Hecox
- Oyez.
- ScotusBlog.

Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services.
- Oyez.
- ScotusBlog.

Dear ChatGPT: What local public services and utilities are used by the University of Houston? Provide references and additional readings.

- Click here for the response. 

1. City of Houston water
2. Wastewater and sanitary sewer
3. Electricity
4. Natural gas
5. UH's own heating and cooling utility
6. Public transportation
7. Police and public safety
8. Fire protection and emergency response
9. Solid waste and recycling
10. Stormwater, drainage, streets and surrounding infrastructure

For more: 

- What is the value of the University of Houston to the local economy?

- What are the top institutional contributors to the local economy?

From the Pew Research Center: Changing Face Of America

 

This helps explain current political disputes. 

- Dear ChatGPT: What campaigns are focused on the changing demographic trends in the United States and Texas? How? Provide references an additional readings.

- You Tube: The Melian Dialogue.

- Wikipedia: Siege of Melos.

- Thucydides: The Melian Dialogue, from Peloponnesian War 5, 84-116.

- US Senate: About the Senate & the U.S. Constitution | Senate Classes.

- What was the vote for ratification of the U.S. constitution in each of the states?

- What were the main arguments from the Federalists and Anti-Federalists for each state convention?

- Wikipedia: Realpolitik.

- Community Impact: Studying Mobility: Greater Heights TIRZ outlines 29 projects based on resident feedback.

- Houston approves anti-annexation deal with The Woodlands.

- What Is An ETJ?

- City of Houston: Planning & Development - Annexation.

- 

- Supreme Court denies Trump administration’s request to implement parts of rule on mail-in voting.

- Supreme Court dismisses immigration case that was scheduled for argument in October.

- ArtI.S1.3.1 Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances.

- Arbitrary-or-capricious test.

- Understanding Arbitrary And Capricious: A Legal Overview.

- capricious.

- City of Pearland Departments. 

- Brazoria County Departments.

- Indigent.

- Single Purpose Local Government.

Dear ChatGPT:

- Describe James Talarico's campaign organization. Provide references and additional readings. 

- Describe Ken Paxton's campaign organization. Provide references and additional readings.

- What do we know so far about James Talarico's campaign strategy? How does he intend to win the election? Provide references and additional readings. 

- What do we know so far about Ken Paxton's campaign strategy? How does he intend to win the election? Provide references and additional readings.

From Houston Public Media: What’s on my 2026 primary election ballot in Harris County and Texas?

Interested in who competed for the nominations of their parties the past March?

- Click here to get countywide info.  

From the National Governors Association: 2025-2026 U.S. Supreme Court Term: Summary of Key Decisions and Implications for States

A good look at the process by which the powers of the national and state governments are haggled over.

- Click here for the article.

The Invention of the Baromoter

I went down a rabbit hole after discussing the constitutionality of the National Weather Service. 

An indirect benefit the enumerated powers provides businesses is that it provides incentives to invent things - check out the patents clause. 

The barometer was invented to help predict the weather. A number of patents have been issued for improvements to the device, as well as other things related to monitoring the weather. 

For more: 

- Wikipedia: Barometer.  

- ChatGPT: Why are barometers important? What functions do they serve?

- ChatGPT: What patents have been issued improving barometers?

- ChatGPT: What types of patents have been issued related to monitoring and predicting the weather?

- ChatGPT: What business interests have benefitted the most from weather related patents?

From the U.S. Census Bureau: From Municipalities to Special Districts, Official Count of Every Type of Local Government in 2017 Census of Governments

- Government Organization Summary Report: 2022 and 2025.

- Individual State Descriptions: 2022 Census of Governments.

- 2022 Census of Governments, State and Local Government Finance Tables.

Dear ChatGPT: Detail the history of the U.S. Census Bureau. Explain any disputes about its constitutionality and its constitutional functions. Provide citations, references, and additional readings.

 

From 9.9.2026

- About Texas Nurses Association.

- Alvin College Receives Approval for Nursing Bachelor's Degree.

- OCCUPATIONS CODE CHAPTER 303: NURSING PEER REVIEW.

- PISD: Required Postings.

- HHS: Health Information Privacy. 

From the Houston CHronicle: These Houston jobs have the most AI exposure. How does your profession stack up?

- Click here for it. 

So you want to be a financial analyst?

A lot of you do. I asked ChatGPT a few questions to determine what laws impact the profession. 

Click on them if you want to learn more. 

- What national laws impact the financial analysis industry? What laws in Texas do the same? Is there conflict between the two? 

- List the most significant national laws related to the finance industry over American history.

Heres a quick list of those laws.

All are based on powers granted in the U.S. Constitution.

1. First Bank of the United States Act — 1791
2. Second Bank of the United States Act — 1816
3. Legal Tender Act — 1862
4. National Banking Acts — 1863 and 1864
5. Federal Reserve Act — 1913
6. Emergency Banking Act — 1933
7. Banking Act of 1933 — Glass-Steagall Act
8. Securities Act of 1933
9. Securities Exchange Act — 1934
10. Banking Act of 1935
11. Investment Company Act — 1940
12. Investment Advisers Act — 1940
13. Federal Deposit Insurance Act — 1950
14. Bank Holding Company Act — 1956
15. Truth in Lending Act — 1968
16. Bank Secrecy Act — 1970
17. Fair Credit Reporting Act — 1970
18. Equal Credit Opportunity Act — 1974
19. Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act — 1974
20. Home Mortgage Disclosure Act — 1975
21. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — 1977
22. Right to Financial Privacy Act — 1978
23. Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act — 1980
24. Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act — 1982
25. Money Laundering Control Act — 1986
26. Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act — 1989
27. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act — 1991
28. Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act — 1994
29. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act — 1999
30. USA PATRIOT Act — 2001, especially Title III
31. Sarbanes-Oxley Act — 2002
32. Emergency Economic Stabilization Act — 2008
33. Housing and Economic Recovery Act — 2008
34. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act — 2010
35. Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act — 2012
36. Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act — 2018

From Wikipedia: Party divisions of United States Congresses

 - Click here for the entry.

From the Texas Tribune - 9.7.2026

- State education board finalizes anti-Islamic rewrite of Texas social studies lessons.

- MAGA Inc. cavalry arrives for Paxton in Texas Senate as Trump’s PAC places $10 million ad buy.

- Elon Musk’s super PAC starts spending to boost Ken Paxton in Texas.

- Texas A&M System removes courses on LGBTQ, ethnic studies and climate change from core offerings.

- Comptroller requests doubling Texas school voucher program to $2 billion.

Tracking Hurricanes etc . . .

I meant to post this last week when Tropical Storm Edouard paid us a visit. 

The info we obtained to track it came from the National Weather Service, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which itself is part of the Department of Commerce. 

- Click here for the flowchart of the Department of Commerce.
- Click here for the flowchart of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Click here for the flowchart of the National Weather Service.

As with any function of the national government, its authority has to flow from a grant directly or indirectly in the U.S. Constitution. Since it contains no "weather" clause, this grant must be indirect.

- Dear ChatGPT: What is the constitutional justification for the National Weather Service?

A related question:

- Dear ChatGPT: Has the constitutionality of the National Weather Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ever been challenged in the courts? If so which case? What was the decision?

For the history of each of the above agencies, click here: 

- Department of Commerce.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- National Weather Service.
   

Texas' Congressional Delegation Over Time

For review in class:

- Wikipedia: Texas's congressional delegations.

- Ballotpedia: United States congressional delegations from Texas.

Dear ChatGPT: What are the current civil liberties concerns regarding the use of Flock cameras? What are Flock cameras? Provide references and additional readings.

As with cheating ;), advances in technology makes surveillance easier. Flock is just the latest advancement in that technology, bit with significant differences.  

It's also become a sudden political issue - a bipartisan one at that.

We will discuss this further.

- Click here for the response. 

Also: 

- Have any court cases been initiated regarding flock cameras?

- Provide a list of major supreme court cases regarding surveillance. 

- Chatrie v. United States.

For our look at elections: Texas Redistricting

The best place to get detailed info about district in the state - congressional, legislative, judicial, and the State Board of Education.

- Click here for it.  

Dear ChatGPT: How did the city of Houston lure two major pharmaceutical manufacturers to the Houston area? Provide references and additional readings.

A look at the public and private forces that made the Houston area more attractive to an industry that had passed it over before. 

- Click here for the answer. 

Still needs fact-checking.