Despite Threats, Texas Students Continue ICE Protests

Rallies and demonstrations against ICE have become increasingly common throughout all parts of Texas. And the protests have also made their way to school campuses, which has prompted a flurry of condemnation from Republican lawmakers.

After photos and video emerged showing students leaving classrooms in Austin to protest ICE at the Capitol on January 30, Governor Greg Abbott took to Twitter and said that he was directing the Texas Education Commissioner to investigate the walkouts. “[Austin ISD] gets taxpayer dollars to teach the subjects required by the state, not to help students skip school to protest,” wrote Abbott. “Our schools are for educating our children, not political indoctrination.” 

A few days later on February 3, the Texas Education Agency did release their guidance on the consequences for student walkouts. According to the TEA, students who leave the campus “must be marked as absent.” Teachers or other administrators who have been “facilitating” could also risk sanctions or further investigations. Additionally, districts found in violation of the walkout policy could be subject to monitoring and even a new board of managers. 

The threat of a takeover is particularly notable. In the last year, the Texas Education Agency has taken over Lake Worth, Connally, Beaumont, and Fort Worth. Houston ISD, the largest in the state, was taken over in 2023.

In the last few years, the oversight of TEA increased exponentially in Texas, and they got even more power in 2021. A school district will now be taken over if at least one school receives five failing grades in consecutive years."

Despite the warnings from the governor and the TEA, protests have continued at schools in the state. In North Texas, that’s included Birdville, Hurst, and Fort Worth ISD. On Twitter, Abbott responded to a Fort Worth Star-Telegram story about the number of Fort Worth schools with protests, saying “this is a school district that Texas is taking over because the FWISD has failed students for 5 years in a row.”

Adriana Piñon, the legal director of the ACLU of Texas, released a statement in response to the threats from Abbott and the Texas Education Agency. “Students do not lose their free speech rights when they enter their schools, and while the law may permit discipline in some cases, it certainly does not require it,” said Piñon. “The state is threatening drastic and severe consequences for peaceful speech that could amount to retaliation, which is unconstitutional.”

On February 10, protests took place at several schools in Dallas including Townview Center and Booker T. Washington. Many of the students marched to Klyde Warren Park for a rally, where they were joined by other community members and even some parents.

Parents in the Houston ISD system are planning a “sickout” for Thursday, February 12. According to the Houston Chronicle, 100 different schools in HISD will be observing the protest, which is not only against the punitive actions regarding walkouts but the TEA takeover.

This week, 39 Texas House Democrats signed a letter to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath for further clarifications on the student demonstrations.