\n Carlos Turcios interviews Jeff Metcalf about the Austin Metcalf Foundation, which was launched to honor Metcalf\u2019s son and promote youth conflict resolution and de-escalation. | Image by The Dallas Express. <\/p>\n
Jeff Metcalf says his next mission is to change Texas law so parents can hold public school districts civilly accountable when district negligence contributes to a student\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
During an exclusive interview with The Dallas Express, Metcalf criticized Frisco ISD\u2019s response after his son Austin was fatally stabbed at a district track meet. He said he plans to seek legislation when the Texas Legislature returns in 2027.<\/p>\n
Metcalf outlined the proposal during the same interview in which he discussed the Austin Metcalf Foundation, as previously reported<\/a> by The Dallas Express.<\/p>\n A teenager fatally stabbed Austin, a 17-year-old Memorial High School student and football player, during a Frisco ISD track meet on April 2, 2025. A Collin County jury later convicted<\/a> another teenager of murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison.<\/p>\n District leadership under fire<\/p>\n Metcalf distinguished district leaders from the teachers and coaches who worked directly with Austin.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about the upper management then, more like the superintendent, not the coaches or the teachers at school,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He accused administrators of mishandling the district\u2019s response from the beginning.<\/p>\n \u201cThey fumbled this all over from day one,\u201d Metcalf said.<\/p>\n Metcalf alleged Frisco ISD handled surveillance video inconsistently and was not forthcoming with prosecutors during the criminal proceedings. He also said district officials first rejected his family\u2019s request to read Austin\u2019s name at graduation and award him a posthumous diploma, then reversed course.<\/p>\n Frisco ISD ultimately called Austin\u2019s name at Memorial High School\u2019s May 21, 2026, graduation, where Hunter accepted the posthumous diploma<\/a> on his brother\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n Metcalf also criticized what he described as changes in the district\u2019s response after outside pressure.<\/p>\n The Dallas Express asked Frisco ISD to respond to Metcalf\u2019s claims about the district\u2019s handling of the case, but the district did not respond before publication.<\/p>\n Push to limit school district immunity<\/p>\n Metcalf said he plans to build support before the 90th Texas Legislature convenes<\/a> on January 12, 2027. He wants lawmakers to create a path for families to sue when school district negligence contributes to a student\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have a child and you send them to school, do you expect them to come home alive?\u201d Metcalf said. \u201cIf they don\u2019t, and the school is negligent, they should be held responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n Current Texas law generally shields school districts from tort suits. The Texas Tort Claims Act<\/a> does not apply to school districts except in cases involving motor vehicles.<\/p>\n In 2025, HB 4623<\/a> created a narrow exception. The law waives governmental immunity in certain sexual misconduct cases.<\/p>\n It applies when a public school acts with gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct in hiring, supervising, or employing a professional school employee. That employee must have committed sexual misconduct against a student or failed to report suspected child abuse or neglect.<\/p>\n