{"id":216868,"date":"2026-03-23T18:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T18:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/216868\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T18:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T18:11:08","slug":"how-strategy-legislation-and-training-aim-to-tackle-classroom-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/216868\/","title":{"rendered":"How strategy, legislation and training aim to tackle classroom violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO \u2013 From a teacher shot by a 6-year-old in Virginia<\/a> to an assistant principal in North Texas who lost her eye<\/a>, violence in classrooms is forcing schools and lawmakers to confront a difficult question: what actually works to keep educators safe?<\/p>\n

KSAT Investigates has spent the last two years looking for answers \u2014 examining what other states are doing, pressing Texas lawmakers and tracking efforts closer to home aimed at preventing injuries and supporting teachers.<\/p>\n

KSAT Investigates<\/p>\n

Hard-hitting journalism from the KSAT Investigates team delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n

Colorado task force outlines solutions to improve teacher safety and prevent classroom violence<\/p>\n

In Colorado, a statewide survey released in 2024 revealed more than half of teachers who responded said they had been physically hurt by a student \u2014 a number that surprised even those tasked with improving school safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was shocked,\u201d said Christine Harms, director of the Colorado Office of School Safety. \u201cNot only because of how many teachers have suffered this, but how many times this happens in elementary schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

That data led to the creation of a state task force focused on solutions. The group developed what it calls a \u201croadmap for action,\u201d<\/a> which includes increasing staff training, improving school culture and investing more funding \u2014 something leaders there believe could have the greatest impact.<\/p>\n

Harms said one of the most important steps other states can take is gathering better data.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing a survey like that in Texas would probably be really helpful,\u201d she said, \u201cnot only with educators, but also with parents, because we need their cooperation as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

As House Bill 6 rolls out, KSAT pushes lawmakers on what more can be done<\/p>\n

In Texas, lawmakers acknowledge the issue \u2014 but differ on how to address it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know that there is an easy, clear-cut answer,\u201d said State Sen. Donna Campbell.<\/p>\n

State Rep. Diego Bernal said more needs to be done.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the state could do more. It\u2019s not doing enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Others, like State Rep. Alan Schoolcraft, pointed to factors outside the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have these kinds of problems with violence and discipline in schools because parents aren\u2019t teaching the children,\u201d he said, adding that legislation alone cannot solve the issue.<\/p>\n

One of the state\u2019s main responses so far is House Bill 6, signed into law in 2025<\/a>, which gives schools more flexibility when disciplining students.<\/p>\n

Some school leaders supported the measure,<\/a> saying it could help address disruptive or dangerous behavior. But critics argue it falls short.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to have more support, and the bill doesn\u2019t do that,\u201d Bernal said, pointing to staffing shortages educators say contribute to unsafe conditions.<\/p>\n

Federal grant funds training aimed at improving school response to violence against teachers<\/p>\n

While the state waits to see how the law plays out, other efforts are already underway.<\/p>\n

The Texas School Safety Center in San Marcos is using a $1.3 million federal grant to develop new training aimed not just at teachers \u2014 but at administrators.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo from this grant, one of the key things that we learned is that educators oftentimes are leaving the profession not just because of the victimization itself, but it\u2019s because of administrator response,\u201d said director Kathy Martinez-Prather.<\/p>\n

The goal is to better equip school leaders to support staff after incidents of violence \u2014 something experts say can make a critical difference in whether teachers stay in the profession.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure that all of our staff feel safe,\u201d Martinez-Prather said.<\/p>\n

For families like Margo Jimenez\u2019s, those changes can\u2019t come soon enough.<\/p>\n

Her husband, Alfred \u201cMr. Fred\u201d Jimenez, died in 2024 after being pushed by a student at a Northside ISD school.<\/p>\n

She believes more support and stronger protections for educators could help prevent tragedies like his.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to protect them,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re the educators \u2014 they\u2019re the ones who are helping us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tell us your story<\/p>\n

KSAT Investigates reporter Daniela Ibarra is not done investigating violence against teachers in the classroom, and she needs your help<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve experienced violence in the classroom or if you\u2019re the parent of a student who has injured a teacher and want to share your story, we want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

You can share your story and any photos or videos of the injuries or aftermath by filling out this form<\/a> or by emailing Ibarra at dibarra@ksat.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Daniela is an IRE 2025 Chauncey Bailey Investigative Reporting Fellow. This story is part of her yearlong project focusing on teacher injuries by students.<\/p>\n

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 From a teacher shot by a 6-year-old in Virginia to an assistant principal in North…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[84596,78373,943,78372,47385,41780,163,4976,27,29,293,28],"class_list":["post-216868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-alan-schoolcraft","tag-alfred-jimenez","tag-colorado","tag-dangerous-lessons","tag-diego-bernal","tag-donna-campbell","tag-education","tag-ksat-investigates","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-legislature","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}