\n TEA Investigates 4 Texas Districts Over Walkouts | Student protest image by Canva <\/p>\n
The Texas Education Agency has confirmed that it is investigating four school districts over their alleged roles in facilitating student walkouts during class hours.<\/p>\n
The TEA confirmed to The Dallas Express that Northside ISD, Austin ISD, Hutto ISD, and Brownsville ISD are currently under review by the agency\u2019s Special Investigations Division.<\/p>\n
The investigations will look into \u201cdistrict-level practices and specific incidents related to the alleged assistance of students with walkout-protests and alleged failures to enforce district policies that limit school day interruptions,\u201d according to the agency.<\/p>\n
TEA officials confirmed that they will follow their standard investigative process, which includes reviewing evidence and conducting interviews before taking any \u201cappropriate action to determine whether any violations of law occurred.\u201d Should investigators find evidence of educator \u201cmisconduct\u201d \u2013 specifically related to walkouts during school hours \u2013 the incident in question will then be referred to TEA\u2019s Educator Investigations Division for another separate review.<\/p>\n
The announcement brings the total number of Texas school districts facing state-level investigations over the walkout protests to at least seven.<\/p>\n
As previously reported by The Dallas Express<\/a>, Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations earlier this month into North East Independent School District, Dallas ISD, and Manor ISD, and separately demanded records from Austin ISD over reports that district personnel were aware of \u2013 and in some cases facilitated \u2013 student walkouts that protested against ICE.<\/p>\n