Abbott threatens to strip schools' funding after student anti-ICE walkouts, arrests at protest

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to strip funding from schools after hundreds of students walked out in protest of ICE operations and immigration policies.

What they're saying:

Abbott's remark came in the form of a post on X, responding to an article about two teens being arrested during a walkout protest in Kyle.

"It’s about time students like this were arrested. Harming someone is a crime — even for students. Disruptive walkouts allowed by schools lead to just this kind of chaos. Schools and staff who allow this behavior should be treated as co-conspirators and should not be immune for criminal behavior," Abbott posted.

He ended the post with: "We are also looking into stripping the funding of schools that abandon their duty to teach our kids the curriculum required by law."

The backstory:

Hundreds of Hays CISD students from five different schools walked out of their classes and off campus to protest ICE operations on Monday afternoon.

The Kyle Police Department shared Monday that about 500 of those students had gone to downtown Kyle during their walkout.

Officers on scene had noticed a minor in possession of alcohol, which resulted in the arrests.

One teen was charged with assault on a public servant, resisting arrest, interfering with public duties, consumption, and possession of alcohol by a minor.

The other teen was charged with resisting arrest and interfering with public duties. Additional charges may be forthcoming.

KPD says that the arrests were unrelated to the walkout.

Dig deeper:

Abbott's post comes after he called on Texas education commissioner Mike Morath to investigate Austin ISD after students from 14 campuses held demonstrations on Jan. 30.

He previously stated: "AISD gets taxpayer dollars to teach the subjects required by the state, not to help students skip school to protest. Our schools are for educating our children, not political indoctrination."

In a letter to parents, AISD Superintendent Matias Segura said the demonstrations were not sponsored or endorsed by the district and that the district wants to have students in class during school hours.

Local perspective:

David Coale, a constitutional law attorney, says that while students have their right to free speech, walkouts might not fall under that umbrella.

"Walking out of school is not really something the first amendment protects because it's contrary to the mission of the school, which is to have everybody there so you can have class," Coale said.

But while the goal is to keep students in class, there’s little schools can physically do to stop students from leaving.

"If they think it's best to just close the door and say, ‘you can't go, get back to class,’ I think they're free to try to do that. I question whether that's really that great of an idea and might make the situation start to escalate," he said.

Some teachers even say stopping students from leaving goes against what they were taught as an educator.

"In our training we're taught you do not block a student who's trying to leave. That can be very dangerous for a teacher," says Bree Rolfe, a member of Education Austin and former AISD teacher. When it comes to Abbott’s mention of funding cuts, she says schools could be targeted for their attendance. "Funding is tied to attendance and not enrollment. And so, when the kids walk out, they are marked absent. And that, you know, goes into our records."

Rolfe went on to tell FOX 7 that teachers and schools might not be as involved in the walkouts as some might believe, but rather, they are the result of inspired students.

"They are smart, and they're critical thinkers, and then they've personally been affected by this. So, they don't need their teachers or staff to tell them what to do. We don’t," Rolfe said.

What's next:

TEA says the guidance is being issued in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's directive to investigate "instances of inappropriate political activism deliberately disrupting the learning environment in Texas public schools."

TEA says that consequences include, but are not limited to:

• Students must be marked absent and schools risk losing daily attendance funding if they allow or encourage students to walk out of class.
• Teachers that facilitate walk outs will be subject to investigation and sanction including licensure revocation.
• School systems that facilitate walkouts will be subject to investigation and sanction, including either the appointment of a monitor, conservator or board of managers.