A joint investigation by The New York Times and The San Antonio Express-News found more than 2,600 use-of-force incidents involving Texas school police officers between 2022 and 2025, raising concerns about how increased campus policing has affected student discipline.
What did the investigation find?
Since the 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas has invested billions of dollars to place police officers on public school campuses. While the initiative was intended to improve school safety, numerous cases in which officers used force against students over relatively minor disciplinary issues were found.
Detailed reports and video footage revealed instances of students being tackled, handcuffed, pepper-sprayed, shocked with Tasers, and arrested for conduct that often began as routine school discipline matters.
Examples highlighted in the report
- A 6-year-old student was handcuffed after a behavioral incident.
- A 10-year-old boy with a behavioral disorder was hogtied by a school officer using a cord.
- A 17-year-old student was repeatedly shocked with a Taser after attempting to retrieve keys from a classroom.
- Officers used physical takedown tactics in roughly 60 documented incidents.
- Students suffered bruises, scrapes, and other injuries in nearly a quarter of the detailed cases reviewed.
The investigation also found officers sometimes became involved in incidents involving dress-code violations, vaping, verbal disputes, and other nonviolent misconduct.
Why are advocates concerned?
Critics argue that Texas lawmakers dramatically expanded school policing after Uvalde without establishing strong accountability measures. The report found no state agency routinely reviews school police use-of-force incidents, and found many school board members interviewed said they were largely unaware of how often officers used force on students.
The Bottom Line
The investigation raises questions about whether Texas's unprecedented expansion of school policing has created sufficient safeguards to prevent excessive force against students, particularly when officers are called to handle routine disciplinary matters that previously would have remained in the principal's office.
