The Texas Observer - July/August 2026 - The Texas School Arrests Crisis

Aug 7, 2026

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July/August 2026 issue of The Texas Observer focuses on how tough-on-crime policies shape the realities for young people and institutions across Texas. Major coverage examines elementary and middle school arrests and the trauma caused by expanding school policing, while other sections investigate failures in the Texas foster care system, religious nonprofits, and political battles tied to gun rights and Uvalde. Additional reporting includes abortion law impacts, faith and custody systems, prison-related scrutiny, arts and culture features, and literary and photo essays.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages64

Reading Time2 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

Editor’s Letter

Political Intelligence

Eye on Texas

The Interview

Essay

Profile

Strangest State

Photo Essay

Review

Postcard

Culture

Poem

JULY/AUGUST 2 0 2 6 | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | THE
TEXAS
SCHOOL
ARRESTS CRISIS
How kids as young as 10 bear the burden of tough-on-crime policies
By JOSEPHINE LEE | | | | | |
since
1954 | AN EAST TEXAS LOVE LETTER
By DALYAH JONES | | THE HOUSE THAT YOUTUBE BUILT
By STEVEN MONACELLI | | | 14
Arrested Child Development
As the Legislature sends more cops into schools, data shows state laws are failing to protect elementary and middle schoolers from life-changing trauma.
By JOSEPHINE LEE
26
Losing Faith
Why religious nonprofits fail to plug the gaps in the Texas foster care system
By WILLOW HIGGINS
34
One in the Chamber (23 in the Clip…)
Brandon Herrera is the gun-rights extremist on the verge of speaking for Uvalde in the U.S. House.
By STEVEN MONACELLI |
01 EDITOR’S LETTER
02 POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE
The state of the Republic(ans) . By JUSTIN MILLER
04 EYE ON TEXAS
At the Texas Medical Center, I see the absurdity and cruelty of our state’s abortion laws firsthand.
By SOPHIE SCHOTT
06 THE INTERVIEW
The battle for the bellwether By JUSTIN MILLER
08 ESSAY
‘Cocks Not Glocks,’revisited.
By COURTNEY THOMAS
10 PROFILE
The Inside Books Project faces a prison system crackdown.
By HOPE CORRIGAN
12 STRANGEST STATE By OBSERVER STAFF
42 PHOTO ESSAY
Scenes of a San Antonio skater
By MONSE GUAJARDO
50 REVIEW
Pam Colloff exposes a devilish bargain from Texas to Florida.
By MICHELLE PITCHER
52 REVIEW
A labor novel of Austin service work By IRENE VÁZQUEZ
54 POSTCARD
Bats!
By LISE OLSEN
56 CULTURE
I come from the women who come from the Thicket.
By DALYAH JONES
60 POEM
Like Zāl
By ALIAH LAVONNE TIGH
CONTENTS | | --- | --- | | ON THE COVER: CLAY RODERY ABOVE: CLAY RODE RY, GUILLERMO ORT EGO, STEVEN MONACELLI | | | STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION
THE TEXAS OBSERVER (PUBLICATION \#0040-4519), 54 CHICON STREET, AUSTIN TX 78702 IS PUBLISHED BIMONTHLY, (6 ISSUES ANNUALLY) FOR A SUBSCRIPTION PRICE OF $60.00. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LOREN LYNCH; EDITOR, G US BOVA. OWNER: THE TEXAS DEMOCRACY FOUNDATION, 54 CHICON STREET, AUSTIN, TX 78702. 15. EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION FOR ISSUE DATE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025. (A) TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES: 5,428 (B) PAID AND/OR REQUESTED CIRCULATION: (B1) PAID OR REQUESTED MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS OUTSIDE-COUNTY:4,308. (B2) PAID OR REQUESTED MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS IN-COUNTY: 0. (B3) OTHER NON-USPS PAID DISTRIBUTION: 1,120. (B4) OTHER CLASSES MAILED THROUGH USPS: 0. (C) TOTAL PAID AND/OR REQUESTED CIRCULATION: 5,428. (D) FREE DISTRIBUTION BY MAIL: (D1) OUTSIDE-COUNTY: 0. (D2) IN-COUNTY: 0. (D2) OTHER CLASSES MAILED THROUGH THE USPS: 0. (D4) OUTSIDE THE MAIL: 0. (E) TOTAL FREE DISTRIBUTION: 0. (F) TOTAL DISTRIBUTION: 5,428. (G)
COPIES NOT DISTRIBUTED: 0. (H) TOTAL: 5,428. (J) PERCENT PAID AND/OR REQUESTED CIRCULATION: 100%. SIGNED LOREN LYNCH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. | | | THE TEXAS OBSERVER (ISSN 0040-4519/USPS 541300), entire contents copyrighted © 2026, is published six times per year by the Texas Democracy Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation, P.O. Box \#11554, Austin, TX 78711. Telephone (512) [477-0746. Email: business@texasobserver.org. Periodicals Postage paid in Austin](477-0746. Email: business@texasobserver.org. Periodicals Postage paid in Austin), TX, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Texas Observer, 54 Chicon St., Austin TX 78702. Subscriptions: 1 yr $60. Foreign, add $13 to domestic price. Back issues $10. Airmail, foreign, group, and bulk rates on request. Microfilm available from University Microfilms Intl., 300 N Zeeb Rd, Ann Arbor MI 48106. INDEXES The Texas
Observer is indexed in Access: The Supplementary Index to Periodicals; Texas Index; and, for the years 1954 through 1981, The Texas Observer Index. Volume 118, No. 4. | | | | INVESTIGATING TEXAS SIN

FAQs

What is the main issue discussed in this Texas Observer issue?

The lead feature examines the Texas school arrests crisis, highlighting how elementary and middle school arrests affect children as young as 10 and how state policies fail to protect them from severe trauma.

How does the issue address problems in the Texas foster care system?

It includes reporting on why religious nonprofits fail to fill gaps in the Texas foster care system, focusing on persistent breakdowns and unmet needs.

What political topics does the issue cover beyond school arrests?

It covers political intelligence such as the “state of the Republic(ans)” and includes analysis tied to gun-rights activism and political figures linked to Uvalde, along with broader reporting on Texas governance.

Aug 7, 2026

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