Texas Governor David Acton said Friday that the state has begun implementing the Texas Reading Excellence and Classroom Safety Act, a law he described as a major change in how public schools will handle early literacy and classroom discipline starting in the 2026–2027 school year. In a press release, Acton said the measure is intended to improve reading outcomes for younger students while giving teachers clearer authority to address disruptions in the classroom. He said implementation is already underway and framed the law as part of a broader effort to strengthen student performance and school order. “Every Texas child deserves the ability to read proficiently and learn in a safe, focused classroom,” Acton said in the release. He added that the law places science-of-reading methods at the center of early instruction, provides teachers with added training and tools, and aims to create more orderly classrooms. According to the release, the TRECS Act requires kindergarten through third-grade reading instruction to use explicit, systematic methods focused on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The administration said the law also bars what it called ineffective guessing strategies, including three-cueing. The legislation also requires all K-3 teachers to complete approved science-of-reading training, according to the governor’s office. New teacher preparation programs must also be aligned with those standards under the law. Another part of the measure calls for universal reading screening three times each year. The release said students identified as struggling readers would receive interventions that could include personalized reading plans, small-group instruction and summer programs. The law also sets a third-grade reading benchmark tied to promotion to fourth grade. Under the release’s description, students will need to demonstrate grade-level reading proficiency to advance, though the law provides accelerated support and limited good-cause exemptions for some students who may repeat the year. On school discipline, Acton’s office said the measure gives teachers clear authority to remove disruptive students from classrooms. The release said that provision is paired with evidence-based positive behavior supports and administrative review. The governor’s office said the state is providing dedicated funding for teacher training, reading screeners, literacy coaches and intervention programs. It also said annual reporting will be used to track reading scores, retention rates and classroom climate as the law is carried out. The announcement marks the latest step in an issue Acton has emphasized since earlier this year. A prior press release in February announced the TRECS Act after Acton’s election as governor. Friday’s statement focused on implementation rather than proposing new changes. No additional issue context or outside reactions were included in the release. The statement also did not provide specific funding totals, district-by-district rollout timelines, or early statewide performance data. The update comes at a politically charged time, with education policy often intersecting with broader debates over standards, school discipline and public spending. In the current climate, where national attention is often drawn more quickly to conflict than to policy detail, the administration’s message emphasized practical school-level changes rather than partisan rhetoric. For now, the public record provided by the governor’s office centers on what the law requires and how the state says it plans to implement it before the next school year takes effect. Whether the program produces measurable gains in literacy, student retention or classroom conditions will likely depend on the annual reporting structure described in the release as implementation continues.