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5h ago

Texas Threatens Sanctions Over Student Walkouts as Protests Against ICE Spread to Michigan

Districts deny sponsoring demonstrations, issue unexcused absences, tighten safety rules.

Leander High School sophomore Mason Grogan joins his classmates in a protest after walking out in a student-planned “End ICE” protest, Feb. 4, 2026. Hundreds of students rallied in front of the school before marching down Bagdad Road for 2.5 miles to Robin Bledsoe Park.
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Leander High School sophomore Kimberly Delgado carries a flag as she marches down Bagdad Road toward Robin Bledsoe Park after walking out in a student-planned “End ICE” protest, Feb. 4, 2026. Hundreds of students rallied in front of the school before starting to march.
Leander High School students march down Bagdad Road toward Robin Bledsoe Park after walking out in a student-planned “End ICE” protest, Feb. 4, 2026. Hundreds of students rallied in front of the school before starting to march.

Overview

  • The Texas Education Agency issued guidance warning districts and educators they could face funding losses, investigations, license revocations, and even replacement of elected school boards if they facilitate in-school walkouts or "inappropriate political activism."
  • Gov. Greg Abbott said violent student protesters should face arrest and signaled he is exploring school funding cuts, while Attorney General Ken Paxton sought records from Austin ISD over its handling of recent demonstrations.
  • Student-led protests continued, with Elgin ISD in Texas reporting a walkout and hundreds of students marching in Ann Arbor and Plymouth-Canton, Michigan, where districts marked absences as unexcused and kept events on or near campus.
  • Some Texas districts tightened policies: Hays CISD now requires parents to sign students out for protests, plans Saturday detention for unexcused walkouts, and placed a teacher on leave after images showed protest signs with profanity.
  • Accounts over arrests tied to a Hays/Kyle walkout conflicted, as the district cited two student arrests during the event and local police said the charges were unrelated to the protest; separately, Michigan coverage noted the White House plans to pull back 700 of the 3,000 ICE officers deployed in Minnesota.