Why does discipline matter in Texas public schools?
Every child has a right to a safe & quality education – this starts with classrooms of well-behaved students.
"Chapter 37 of our Texas Education Code, which was originally created in 1995 to help protect our marginalized students with regard to how students are disciplined, may need to be reevaluated so that no paraprofessional, no teacher, or principal… simply put, no educator should ever be put in this situation. I fully understand education laws and the need for students to be educated with their peers. Chapter 37 may need to incorporate changes to address the mental, social, and emotional well-being of these students. Overly aggressive students need services to meet their needs, but I do not believe the safety of other students and the educational staff should suffer."
Mrs. Candra Rogers
Corsicana ISD assistant principal in an address to the media following a violent attack by a student
During the 2022-23 school year, 10.57% of Texas public school students received disciplinary action, including in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, and/or assignment to a juvenile justice alternative education program or disciplinary alternative education program.
1.11 million incidents regarding violation of local code of conduct
45,644 incidents involving controlled substances/drugs
1,350 incidents involving conduct punishable as a felony
484 incidents resulting in permanent removal by teacher
381 incidents involving firearm or handgun violation
256 incidents involving retaliation against a district employee
241 incidents relating to prohibited weapon
The Teacher Vacancy Task Force, led by the Texas Education Agency and established by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, conducted a survey to explore why teachers are leaving the education profession. Nearly 50% of respondents pointed to student behavior, lack of resources, and inadequate discipline support from administrators as primary stressors, with discipline itself cited as a top concern by almost half of the teachers surveyed.
Source (pages 39 & 41)
Media is taking notice of the many problems of Chapter 37.
Stories related to students and teachers being physically injured due to aggressive or violent children in the classroom have increased exponentially in the news recently.
