<\/p>\n
Johnny Nhan, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Texas Christian University, (middle) speaks during a panel discussion about Tarrant County school discipline at Texas A&M University School of Law in downtown Fort Worth on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. Texas A&M University Professor of Law Jenny Carroll (left) moderated the discussion, which included Elvin Houston, a district-side school lawyer with Walsh Gallegos. (right).<\/p>\n
Lina Ruiz<\/p>\n
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM<\/p>\n
A panel discussion with education and law experts on Wednesday outlined a complicated landscape of school discipline in Tarrant County and statewide, and how a newer state law makes it easier for students to receive punishment.<\/p>\n
The discussion, moderated by Texas A&M University School of Law Professor Jenny Carroll in downtown Fort Worth, focused on House Bill 6<\/a>, which experts called \u201cthe biggest rewrite of Texas school discipline law in a generation.\u201d<\/p>\n The law went into effect in the 2025-26 school year. It expanded the ability of teachers to remove students from class for disruptive behavior, including on a single instance. It removed a three-day cap on in-school suspensions, allowing for an open-ended number of days for the form of discipline that must be reviewed every 10 school days.<\/p>\n It also allows students in pre-K through second grade to be given out-of-school suspensions for repeated or significant disruptions. Students caught with e-cigarettes or vape pens<\/a> can receive at least 10 days of in-school suspension.<\/p>\n Elvin Houston, a district-side school lawyer with Walsh Gallegos, said the new law focuses on expanding opportunities to exclude students from schools to ensure a safe learning environment. But it reflects a larger issue around classroom management and support, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe individuals who are working in the profession are not being compensated, they\u2019re not being trained adequately and they don\u2019t feel supported. So, it\u2019s hard to then put additional demands on those individuals, to expect them to respond in a different way than the options given to them under House Bill 6. It is very much, I think, a cycle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tarrant County\u2019s largest school district, Fort Worth ISD, disciplined about 10.6% of its students in the 2024-25 school year \u2014 the latest data available. This compares to 10.1% of Texas students being disciplined statewide. In the previous school year, there were 11.3% of Fort Worth students who faced discipline and 10.6% statewide. This includes in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions and placements in outside disciplinary programs.<\/p>\n Johnny Nhan, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Texas Christian University, said school behavior is a symptom of something bigger happening outside of school. Students in poverty, for example, are typically more concerned about meeting their basic needs rather than focusing in the classroom.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s two things that are happening. Number one: we are starting to skip the helping the kids part. We\u2019re just going straight to the punishment part. And then on the second hand, we haven\u2019t talked about these underlying social conditions, economic conditions, where if you\u2019re in poverty, school is just secondary in terms of your concern,\u201d Nhan said.<\/p>\n The panel also spoke about the school-to-prison pipeline, noting how disciplinary action in schools can lead to exposure to the criminal justice system. House Bill 6 expands the opportunities for a student to be expelled, which triggers mandatory reports to law enforcement, Houston said.<\/p>\n Carroll, a former public defender for juveniles, said she\u2019s noticed patterns in court of who ends up getting involved in the legal system.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren I see who are in lower socioeconomic classes, or who are vulnerable in other ways in our community, end up with referrals at higher rates. So, I also think it\u2019s important to acknowledge these aren\u2019t equal applications of this school-to-prison pipeline. It\u2019s not equal within districts. It\u2019s not equal in schools. It\u2019s not equal among populations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
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