Paxton announced investigations into NEISD and other Texas districts, alleging they facilitated student protests and failed to ensure safety.
SAN ANTONIO — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office is investigating three school districts, including North East ISD in San Antonio, “following concerns that ISD administration and faculty orchestrated the protests.”
Paxton announced the investigations Monday, also saying Dallas ISD and Manor ISD were being looked into.
The attorney general’s office alleges district administrators and faculty may have helped orchestrate the protests and that “little to no action” was taken “to ensure the safety of students and to stop large-scale interruptions of classroom instructional time.”
“I will not allow Texas schools to become breeding grounds for the radical Left’s open borders agenda,” Paxton said in a statement.
Students at several San Antonio schools walked out of class on Jan. 30 to protest federal law enforcement tactics and ICE’s presence in the Alamo City. The protests were organized amid rising scrutiny nationwide after the federal law enforcement killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota as well as the detention of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father at a facility in Dilley, about 72 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio.
Paxton has requested that the three districts now under investigation provide information regarding policies on students leaving campus, excused absences, security protocols and internal communications related to the protests. His office will also examine whether public funds were improperly used and whether any laws were violated.
An NEISD spokesperson said the state’s investigation was centered on Churchill High School, adding the district was working to fulfill the attorney general’s request for information for that school as well as others.
Paxton’s investigation comes after the Texas Education Agency (TEA) earlier this month released new guidance regarding student walkouts. The agency said educators who were found to be organizing such protests could lose their teaching license and districts run the risk of losing funding. TEA officials later confirmed the agency had “received multiple complaints regarding multiple districts,” but didn’t specify which ones.
“Consistent with the agency’s standard intake process, each complaints is being thoroughly investigated to evaluate whether any violations or statute or rule occurred,” the TEA said in a statement. “If any are found, the agency will take appropriate action.”
NEISD officials said Monday that its own guidance was “substantially similar” to the TEA’s .
“Staff was informed to follow our policies which dictate that their role is to supervise students, maintain a safe learning environment, and remain professionally neutral. Staff was reminded to not encourage, endorse, discourage, or attempt to persuade students about participating in a walkout or protest,” the district said.
Paxton’s announcement follows similar action taken by his office involving Austin ISD, which remains under investigation tied to protests described as anti-law enforcement.