Abbott proposes minimum 10 years in prison for educators who abuse students

(The Center Square) – At a campaign event in Lubbock, Gov. Greg Abbott proposed tougher penalties for educators and school employees convicted of crimes against students, including a minimum 10-year prison sentence.

Abbott discussed his new plan at a roundtable in Lubbock with House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, law enforcement and school superintendents.

The proposal would increase criminal penalties for individuals convicted of improper relationships with students to a minimum of 10 years in prison and require them to register as a sex offender. It also would prohibit them from being eligible for community supervision, deferred adjudication, parole or mandatory supervision before the full 10-year sentence is served.

The proposal “builds on previous and vital actions that crack down on inappropriate teacher-student relationships,” Abbott said. Tougher penalties will better “protect our students and lock up predators.”

Last year, the legislature enacted new laws and policies requiring greater transparency of educator misconduct and accountability for school districts where the abuse occurred.

A new inspector general for educator misconduct was appointed and a new Educator Misconduct Reporting Portal was rolled out, The Center Square reported. Within months, nearly 16,000 misconduct reports that had been filed since last September were made public. The majority, 79%, involve direct harm to students.

Fifteen percent of educator investigations, 1,694, were related to inappropriate sexual/romantic relationship and inappropriate communication with students; 548 were related to sexual abuse of students, according to the data. Dashboard descriptions of sexual crimes are graphic.

Another new law in effect, HB 4623, allows civil claims to be made against independent school districts or open-enrollment charter schools for employees that commit sexual misconduct or if schools fail to report suspected child abuse or neglect.

Last month, another batch of two dozen educators was suspended, including for allegations of sexual misconduct with a student, child grooming, child pornography, and other sex related crimes, The Center Square reported. Since last September, more than 200 teachers have been suspended statewide.

A student survivor of abuse, Kyreeá Flores, spoke at the roundtable, saying, “I’ve learned that healing doesn’t mean pretending the pain never happened, it means deciding what you’re going to do with it. What happened to me should have never happened, but if my story can help another child be seen sooner or help recognize the warning signs then I’m going to use my voice to do that.”

Burrows said, “Every child in Texas deserves to walk into school ready to learn and grow, not afraid that someone could prey upon them.

“To the survivors: we hear you, we see you, and what happened to you should never have happened. We must do better. The Texas House looks forward to partnering with Gov. Abbott next session to turn these initiatives into action and make sure no other child suffers what you have suffered.”

He also said that when the Texas legislature reconvenes next year, it will build on the reforms that were passed last year. The legislature convenes every two years.