AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Monday announced investigations into North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Dallas Independent School District, and Manor Independent School District outside Austin in response to student protests.
Over the past few weeks, students in K-12 public schools across the state have expressed themselves through protest — including walking out of class — in demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics and killings. The attorney general’s investigations are the latest escalation by state officials following Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for defunding public school districts and investigating staff.
The following statement can be attributed to Brian Klosterboer (he/him), senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas:
“Ken Paxton has long weaponized his office to target and suppress viewpoints he dislikes. His press release announcing the investigations into school districts does not identify any law that has been violated, nor can investigations supersede anyone's constitutional rights. Paxton and other state officials should listen to students who are respectfully engaging in our democracy rather than wasting state resources trying to suppress their speech based on their message.
“Government officials should not intimidate students and educators for exercising their constitutional rights, nor can they punish students disproportionately for walkouts compared to other types of absences. Boycotts and walkouts are one of the oldest and most peaceful forms of protest in our democracy — and the Supreme Court has continuously recognized that students and teachers do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse doors.”
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