AUSTIN, Texas — A House committee heard testimony on a bill to update public school discipline policies that could lead to younger students being removed from the classroom. 

State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Allen, frames House Bill 6, which would overhaul the state’s school discipline law, as a “Teacher Bill of Rights.”

“This bill expands teachers’ ability to maintain order to safeguard student safety, and to uphold academic integrity in their classrooms,” said Leach, who authored HB 6. 

The bill would allow students as early as third grade to be suspended for repeated actions that cause significant disruption to the classroom, which is a reversal of a 2017 law that banned out-of-school suspensions for young students. 

There is a three-day limit for out-of-school suspensions, but no limit for an in-school suspension. 

“You would expect that the in-school suspension would be utilized prior to any out-of-school suspension,” said Leach.

There is concern that it may become too easy to kick out and keep students out of school. Students removed from class could be placed in a virtual disciplinary education program. 

“The virtual schools were a big contribution to the learning gap that was created during the COVID-19,” said Linda Estrada with the Texas State Teachers Association. 

One education nonprofit reported that 120,000 students were sent to Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs) during the 2023-24 school year. The Education Justice Project team with Texas Appleseed says the excessive discipline could put students on the school to prison pipeline. 

“The more likely that they are to fall behind in school, drop out of school, and, you know, when they’re not in school, they’re getting into trouble outside of school,” said Renuka Rege, a Texas Appleseed staff attorney. 

But there is a recognition that something needs to be done. 

“Campus leaders are held hostage to the system when the system’s not working for the very community that they serve,” said Killeen Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Jo Ann Fey. 

According to the Texas Education Agency, in 2022, nearly 50% of Texas teachers cited discipline and the lack of a safe work environment as a top concern. 

“If your classroom is out of control, it doesn’t matter how much you know about numeracy or the science of reading,” said Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin. 

Talarico’s bill, House Bill 222, would allow districts to use safety funding toward better training for discipline. 

“For young children, we should be figuring out how we can best support them to be able to learn how to behave appropriately in a classroom,” said Rege. 

Another part of the school discipline bill would repeal the current requirement to send students caught with vapes to alternative education programs. Experts say this has resulted in overcrowding. Opponents to HB 6 say they support this provision.