Area school protests draw state warnings

CEDAR PARK, Texas — Leander Independent School District leaders are advising parents that Cedar Park Middle School students may try to walk out of class Friday afternoon, as Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency escalate threats of funding and oversight penalties tied to student protests over immigration enforcement. District officials say they cannot legally bar peaceful student expression, but they will mark students absent if they leave class — a stance that has fueled a sharp split among parents over safety, school authority and students’ rights.

CPMS Principal Maggie Jistel sent a message to families indicating that some students “may be planning a walkout” at about 3:40 p.m. Friday, the start of ninth period. The principal said the planned time overlaps with Cedar Park High School’s dismissal window and warned of heavy traffic around both campuses.

The message stressed the walkout is not sponsored by the district or the campus. It also said staff “cannot participate in or support any walkout event,” and would monitor students on campus to maintain safety.

District leaders said they “cannot prohibit students from engaging in lawful expression of their views,” but will maintain order and keep instruction moving. The message said students who leave class will be reported to administrators and counted absent; it also said the absence would be unexcused under state attendance rules.

The campus warned that students who leave campus would not be allowed to return, which could affect extracurricular activities.

The local warning comes as state leaders are stepping up pressure on school systems amid a wave of student walkouts across Texas tied to protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. Students in multiple school districts across the state have engaged in protests and walkouts in recent days.

Abbott has threatened to withhold state funding for students who skip class to protest and has criticized districts he says are allowing walkouts during the school day. The TEA, responding to Abbott’s directive, issued statewide guidance Feb. 3 that says students must be marked absent, that districts risk losing attendance-based funding if they “allow or encourage” walkouts, and that teachers and districts could face investigations and sanctions if they facilitate political activism that disrupts learning.

The TEA guidance also warns of possible state intervention in districts found in violation, including the appointment of a monitor or conservator or the replacement of an elected board with a board of managers.

In Central Texas, districts have said they are not endorsing walkouts but are managing them and applying attendance rules. Leander ISD told KXAN that about 100 to 150 students walked out of Cedar Park High School on Wednesday and that those students would be counted absent and unexcused under TEA requirements and the district’s student code of conduct, according to the station’s reporting.

Parents in local social media groups have argued over whether the district’s approach protects students — or invites dangerous behavior.

In a widely shared Facebook post in a Parents of Leander ISD group, one parent wrote that the campus message reads as if the school is “allow(ing) 11 to 13 year olds to leave campus” and called the situation “a safety issue,” citing concerns about middle school students walking into dismissal traffic and meeting older students.

Other parents pushed back, arguing the message reflects legal limits on what schools can do. One commenter wrote that the school is not “allowing” or “encouraging” a protest, but instead is trying to “follow the law” while communicating risks and consequences. Another parent urged families to “slow this down and deal in facts,” writing that students have First Amendment rights and that the school’s job is to supervise and keep students safe, not sponsor the action.

The debate has also exposed differing views about what consequences should follow. Some parents called for strict discipline at home if children participate. Others said the focus should be on safety planning and parent communication, not punishment.

Legal and policy questions sit at the center of the conflict.

In a landmark 1969 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” The court said schools may limit student expression only when administrators can reasonably forecast it would cause a “material and substantial disruption” to school operations or infringe on the rights of others.

The standard has shaped decades of student-speech disputes and is often cited in debates over walkouts and protests during the school day.

In a Feb. 5 analysis, the Fort Worth Report quoted First Amendment experts who said student speech remains protected in public schools, but can be restricted if it meets the “material and substantial disruption” standard rooted in Tinker. The report also raised concerns that state threats aimed at districts could chill educators trying to balance student rights, safety responsibilities and state expectations.

That tension is playing out in campus messaging. Cedar Park Middle School’s notice said the school will not take a position on the issue prompting the walkout. It also warned that “allowing students to make their own choices should not be interpreted as the school taking a position.”

State officials, meanwhile, have framed the walkouts as a classroom disruption and a safety risk. Abbott has argued that students should be in class and that districts could be held responsible if a student is harmed during a protest. TEA officials have said state law prohibits districts from using taxpayer-funded resources to support political activism that disrupts learning during the school day, and that educators are prohibited from encouraging or facilitating student departures for political activism.

Some local and state Democrats have criticized the state’s approach. KXAN reported that U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett warned that further funding cuts could harm students in an already tight school finance climate. Other coverage cited state Rep. Erin Zwiener criticizing Abbott’s posture toward student protesters and arguing that threats could make demonstrations less safe by discouraging districts from coordinating safety measures.

For now, Leander ISD’s stance mirrors guidance adopted by other districts: do not sponsor the walkout, enforce attendance rules, and prioritize safety while students are under school responsibility.

Cedar Park Middle School leaders urged parents to speak with their children about expectations and potential consequences. The campus message said civic learning occurs through curriculum and guided discussion, adding that the school remains committed to classroom discourse and critical thinking.