SAN ANTONIO – The North East Independent School District (NEISD) is among three school districts under investigation by the state Attorney General’s office for allegedly “facilitating” student walkouts against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions.
NEISD, Dallas ISD and Austin-area Manor ISD were named in a Monday news release from Ken Paxton’s office.
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In a Monday afternoon statement, a North East ISD spokesperson said Paxton’s investigation of the district is centered around “Churchill High School.”
“We are fully cooperating and gathering documentation to provide to the AG’s Office,” the spokesperson told KSAT, in part. “In fact, in the spirit of transparency, we are providing additional documentation for other schools as well. NEISD gave guidance to staff before the TEA issued its guidance and it was substantially similar. 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.”
The district also said Monday it reminded staff “to not encourage, endorse, discourage, or attempt to persuade students about participating in a walkout or protest.”
On Jan. 29, the district sent parents the following statement and also posted it to its social media:
NEISD is aware of student protests going on this week. Here is how our schools are handling the situation:
While the campus respects our students’ rights to express their individual views, our highest priorities are to maintain students’ safety on campus and preserve a rich learning environment accessible to all of our students.
Should students participate in a walkout, we want to be clear that students will be considered truant from class resulting in an unexcused absence. Additionally, if the event creates a significant disruption to learning or creates any type of physical danger to others such as bringing weapons or inciting violence, students will receive disciplinary consequences ranging from detention or In-school suspension to Out-of-school suspension or recommendation to an alternative educational setting.
Campus administration will maintain vigilance about the potential of a walkout; communicate with NEPD and NEISD campus safety about any needs for support; communicate with faculty about response practices, and with families about new developments. We also want to encourage families to speak with your student(s) about the potential dangers and/or consequences of participating in an event of this nature.
North East ISD
Paxton’s call for an investigation came after students staged walkouts protesting recent ICE operations in San Antonio, Texas and around the country. Since January, hundreds of students across the state have also participated in walkouts.
>>Hundreds of Texas public school students walk out to protest ICE killings
Paxton alleges that these school districts’ administration and staff “orchestrated the protests,” and took “little to no action 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 the news release. “Let this serve as a warning to any public school official or employee who unlawfully facilitates student participation in protests targeting our heroic law enforcement officers: my office will use every legal tool available to hold you accountable.”
Earlier this month, a 45-year-old Kyle resident was arrested after getting into a verbal altercation that turned physical with students participating in a walkout in Buda.
Law enforcement personnel from multiple agencies were present “to provide safety and security for pedestrians and motorists.”
City leaders in San Antonio are currently trying to fight ICE’s presence after the agency purchased an East Side warehouse to function as a “very well-structured” detention facility.
Last week, the City Council weighed its options for halting the facility’s opening.
The possibilities range from “know your rights” training, to logging alleged civil rights violations related to ICE activity, to public signage informing people of their rights or lobbying for federal action to prevent the use of any facility in San Antonio.
KSAT has reached out to an NEISD spokesperson for comment. This story will be updated with the district’s comment.
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