TEXAS — State Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, has authored a letter to Commissioner Mike Morath and the Texas Education Agency (TEA), signed by many Democratic state representatives, requesting clarity on the walkout policy the agency issued last week.
Today, my colleagues and I sent a letter to TEA requesting clarification on the formal guidance issued in response to student-led demonstrations against ongoing ICE operations in our communities. #txlege #hd45 pic.twitter.com/76ph03NTAF
— Erin Zwiener (@ErinForYall) February 9, 2026
That policy was outlined after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to cut funding to schools that allowed students to walk out in protest over the federal government’s immigration enforcement efforts across the country.
I have directed the Education Commissioner to investigate this.
AISD gets taxpayer dollars to teach the subjects required by the state, not to help students skip school to protest.
Our schools are for educating our children, not political indoctrination.
This is one of many… https://t.co/lhymqT0d2B
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 31, 2026
On Jan. 30, Attorney General Ken Paxton demanded documents for an investigation against the Austin Independent School District, which he claimed facilitated student protests against “lawful immigration enforcement activities.”
In the TEA policy guidelines, school boards were warned that schools that facilitated such walkouts could be subject to penalties, up to and including a state takeover.
The letter asks a multitude of questions about the new policy, including what written guidelines TEA intends to use to enforce the penalties, claiming that no written instruction on the issue came from the governor. It also seeks formal definitions of terms such as “neglect” in relation to a school where students stage a walkout and “facilitation” in terms of how teachers and administrators allow such walkouts to happen.
It also seeks clarity on what parental responsibility should be in terms of these walkouts and encourages Abbott to “visit a public school and model the expectations that you are placing on educators and administrators during student-led demonstrations, so that the guidance is informed by real-world conditions and the practical challenges of ensuring student safety.”
The letter is signed by 39 state representatives, all Democrats.