According to Austin Independent School District Superintendent Matias Segura, 14 schools participated in student-led anti-ICE protests on Friday.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is calling on Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to investigate Austin Independent School District after students walked out of class to protest US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday.
The protests were part of a national day of action following the death of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were both shot and killed by ICE Agents in Minnesota in January.
Students from 14 campuses participated in the protest, with some staying on campus for demonstrations while others walked to the Texas Capitol.
“I have directed the Education Commissioner to investigate this,” Abbott said in a post on X Friday night. “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. This is one of many reasons why AISD is losing so many students.”
In a letter to parents, Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura said the demonstrations were not sanctioned by the district, and any student who left campus to participate received an unexcused absence.
He also said that while the district wants to have students in class during school hours, they can’t stop students from participating or leaving campus, and had officers present to assist with safety and security.
“During the school day, our students are our responsibility and we’re committed to the safety of our students in our community, regardless if they are on our campus,” Segura said. “That is why our administrators and Austin ISD Police remain with our students during protest activities during school hours.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also demanded information about the policies, security protocols, and internal communications at AISD, announcing his own investigation on Monday.
“Parents expect our public schools to educate and keep their kids safe during the school day, not encourage them to attend a protest field trip designed to villainize brave law enforcement officials protecting our country,” he said in a statement. “These AISD officials are trying to impose their radical political agenda on the next generation by not only allowing them to skip class to protest lawful immigration enforcement activities, but worse yet—use tax dollars to do so.”
Paxton said his office will investigate the use of public funds and whether any laws were violated.
A few hundred students from the University of Texas at Austin also walked from their campus to the Capitol on Friday, joining in on the protest.
Middle and high school students in other cities across Texas, including in Waco, San Antonio, New Braunfels, and Dallas-Fort Worth, also participated in walk-outs.
Abbott did not say how his investigation would be conducted, or what disciplinary actions the Texas Education Agency could or would take.
