Texas has seen a surge in the number of school district police departments, with nearly 400 across the state. However, this increased presence has led to heavy-handed police tactics being used on students for minor infractions.
Texas has seen a surge in the number of school district police departments, with nearly 400 across the state. However, this increased presence has led to heavy-handed police tactics being used on students for minor infractions.
Our investigation found that officers in Texas have displayed startling belligerence, grabbing or tackling students as young as 6 years old. Children have been handcuffed, arrested, and even jailed for behavior that would have once been dealt with by school administrators. In some cases, students have been left with serious injuries, including bruises and concussions, after being body-slammed or shocked by Tasers.
Despite the lack of comprehensive data on use-of-force incidents, our reporters identified over 2,600 such incidents across more than 200 school districts. These incidents often began over minor misbehaviors, such as dress-code violations or vaping. In many cases, officers escalated situations by shouting obscenities or insults. Physical takedown tactics were used in around 60 situations when students ignored commands or talked back.
The Judson school district, which includes parts of San Antonio, was involved in an incident where a 15-year-old boy was slammed onto a table after throwing a cheese stick at another student. The school district claimed that the student had tried to walk away from the officer, who used necessary force to gain control of the situation. In the Cypress-Fairbanks district, an officer hogtied a 10-year-old boy with a behavioral disorder who had kicked the principal.
The officer had previously used the same restraint technique on the boy when he left campus during school. The district later banned the practice. Tayshawn Chadwick, 17, was suspended from his school in the Aldine district for threatening to fight another student. When he tried to retrieve his house keys from a classroom before leaving campus, a school officer pinned him against a window, and another officer pressed a Taser against his skin and shocked him repeatedly.
Tayshawn was charged with resisting arrest and held in the county jail. The charge was dismissed after he completed an anger-management program. The school district declined to comment on the incident, and records showed that the officers' supervisors deemed their actions in compliance with department policy. In interviews, dozens of parents, teachers, principals, and students said that they believed police officers were needed to keep schools safe.
Many praised officers for stopping violent fights and maintaining order in schools. However, our investigation found that the increased presence of police officers has led to a culture of fear and aggression in many Texas schools. The use of heavy-handed police tactics on students has resulted in serious injuries and long-term trauma for many children.
The Texas school policing initiative, which aimed to protect students from tragedies like the Uvalde massacre, has instead created a situation where students are subjected to police brutality and mistreatment. The records provide a first-of-its-kind look at how Texas' initiative around school policing has played out in districts large and small, urban and rural. Many incidents began over misbehavior such as dress-code violations, vaping, or schoolyard scraps.
Officers, often summoned by principals or teachers, escalated some situations by shouting obscenities or insults. They used physical takedown tactics in about 60 situations when students ignored their commands, talked back, or pulled away. The New York Times and The San Antonio Express-News found that officers in Texas displayed startling belligerence at times, grabbing or tackling students a fraction of their size over misconduct that often appeared to be minor.
Children in elementary school, including one as young as 6, were handcuffed. Teenagers were arrested, charged with crimes, and even jailed. In the most extreme cases, they wound up in hospitals, bruised or concussed, after being body-slammed or shocked by Tasers, which are prohibited in the state's juvenile detention facilities but allowed in its public schools. There is no comprehensive record of use-of-force incidents across the more than 1,000 public school districts in Texas.
Many districts and police agencies declined to disclose their data to our journalists; others did not respond to public records requests. More than 200 provided some information, but in most cases, it was limited. Still, by examining even that small share of records, our reporters identified more than 2,600 use-of-force incidents that occurred from January 2022 through December 2025. About 450 of those interactions were described in detailed reports, which we reviewed.
We also watched video footage from over two dozen encounters. The records provide a first-of-its-kind look at how Texas' initiative around school policing has played out in districts large and small, urban and rural. Many incidents began over misbehavior such as dress-code violations, vaping, or schoolyard scraps. Officers, often summoned by principals or teachers, escalated some situations by shouting obscenities or insults.
They used physical takedown tactics in about 60 situations when students ignored their commands, talked back, or pulled away. In the Judson school district, which includes parts of San Antonio, an officer slammed a 15-year-old boy onto a table after he threw a cheese stick at another student, according to witnesses cited in public records.
In a statement, the school district said that the student had tried to walk away from the officer, who used necessary force to gain control of the situation. In the Cypress-Fairbanks district, near Houston, an officer hogtied a 10-year-old boy with a behavioral disorder who had kicked the principal, using a cord to bind his hands and feet behind his back, an internal investigation found.
The officer had twice before used the same restraint technique, when the boy left campus during school, the records show. The district later banned the practice. Tayshawn Chadwick, 17, was suspended from his school in the Aldine district for threatening to fight another student in December 2023. When he tried to retrieve his house keys from a classroom before leaving campus, a school officer pinned him against a window, according to records.
Another officer pressed a Taser against his skin and shocked him repeatedly. Tayshawn was charged with resisting arrest and held in the county jail. The charge was dismissed after he completed an anger-management program. The school district declined to comment on the incident; records show that the officers' supervisors deemed their actions in compliance with department policy.
In interviews, dozens of parents, teachers, principals, and students said that they believed police officers were needed to keep schools safe. Many praised officers for stopping violent fights and maintaining order in schools.
However, our investigation found that the increased presence of police officers has led to a culture of fear and aggression in many Texas schools. The use of heavy-handed police tactics on students has resulted in serious injuries and long-term trauma for many children. The Texas school policing initiative, which aimed to protect students from tragedies like the Uvalde massacre, has instead created a situation where students are subjected to police brutality and mistreatment
Texas School District Police Use Of Force Student Safety Police Presence
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Texas Education Agency rejects Austin ISD's plan for failing schoolsBurnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools were set to go under a charter agreement to buy the district more time to avoid a state takeover. In a letter sent to AISD's superintendent, the Texas Education Agency denied the application for the partnership.
Read more »
Joey McGuire calls Steve Sarkisian's bluff, dares Texas to play Texas Tech in Week 1Joey McGuire responds to Steve Sarkisian's jab at Texas Tech's schedule, publicly challenging the Longhorns to play the Red Raiders in week one.
Read more »
Texas Tech and Texas Football Rivalry Elevated on Social MediaBefore we discuss the recent news between the Texas Tech and Texas football programs, let's take a look at the recent history between both teams. Texas Tech and
Read more »
Texas agency denies Austin ISD pause for 3 middle schools facing takeover riskA possible state takeover continues to loom over the Austin Independent School District after the Texas Education Agency denied the district’s request for an ac
Read more »