Thousands of Texas teachers and school staff have been accused of victimizing students over the past few years, according to official reports received by the state and reviewed by a parent advocacy group.
Texas Education 911 recently analyzed 11,111 educator misconduct reports submitted by school administrators to the Texas Education Agency from September 2021 through July 2024.
By far the largest number of reports—39 percent—accused teachers of committing violent acts against children.
“Adult violence against children in our schools is four times higher than any other offense,” said Carrie Moore, one of the authors of the Texas Education 911 report State-Sponsored Child Abuse: School Employee Misconduct in Texas. “Our kids in Texas deserve better.”
Another 26 percent of the reports were for sexual misconduct or “improper relationship” between educator and student.
An alarming 4,144 educator misconduct reports involved physical violence against students while in school.
Even more alarming, 74 percent of those reports were never investigated by the TEA.
Recent incidents of such violence and neglect have targeted special needs students.
Lynn Soo Shin, who worked at Round Rock Independent School District, was arrested in December and charged with assault after intentionally tripping a 5-year-old autistic student for running in class.
Shin was charged with assault against an elderly or disabled individual, a Class A misdemeanor, and was later released from Williamson County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
She was hired in August 2024 to work with preschoolers at the district’s Head Start campus. The assault occurred in September.
Shin resigned after admitting to the incident, acknowledging the job was too stressful for her. She previously worked in Leander ISD teaching K-5 students with intellectual disabilities but also quit that job because it was too stressful.
The injured child’s mother pursued criminal charges to ensure Shin could no longer work in Texas schools. Shin’s teaching certificate is currently under review by the TEA.
In November, staff members at Quail Valley Middle School in Fort Bend ISD were fired after classroom surveillance video showed an 11-year-old autistic student was left on the floor for two hours while crying in pain with a broken leg.
Moore and Texas Education 911 are advocating for legislative changes this year to protect Texas students, prevent in-school abuse of children, and prosecute adult abusers.
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