AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott publicly spoke out against student ICE walkouts Wednesday, warning that school districts could face funding cuts and legal liability if they allow students to walk out of class.
Speaking at an unrelated news conference in Houston, Abbott said schools will lose state funding tied to average daily attendance for any student who skips class to protest. He said that school leaders could be held “legally responsible” if students are injured during demonstrations.
“If you’re a student, you have a job and that’s to go be in a classroom,” Abbott said. “Protests by leaving a school is not allowed by law.”
The governor’s comments come after hundreds of students across Central Texas walked out over the last week to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities.
Students participated in walkouts at Austin ISD, Hays CISD, Manor ISD, Lockhart ISD, Pflugerville ISD and Bastrop ISD.
“Schools and staff who allow this behavior should be treated as co-conspirators and should not be immune for criminal behavior,” he said.
The Texas Education Agency confirmed it is investigating Austin ISD and other districts following Abbott’s directive Friday. Attorney General Ken Paxton said he is also investigating Austin ISD.
Abbott warned that the investigations will examine “the extent to which the school could lose funding because a student was not present for school for that entire day.” He said TEA Commissioner Mike Morath and other agency leaders will determine the parameters.
The governor cited safety concerns, referencing a video from Nebraska showing a student being struck by a vehicle during a protest.
“If there’s any student who gets run over because of a protest that was allowed by school to take place, I fully expect the school district and the leaders to be held legally responsible for that,” Abbott said.
Abbott also addressed claims that students have free speech rights to participate in walkouts, saying the issue is “more complex than that.”
“The Supreme Court has been very clear about free speech to students, and that free speech of students does not include leaving the school to go protest,” he said. “By Supreme Court precedent, what they did by leaving school to go protest is not protected speech.”