Student Discipline in Texas: A Look at Fighting Incidents and School Punishments

Deadly Fight at Sterling High

• 💔 A 16-year-old student, Andrew Mismer, was fatally stabbed with scissors at Sterling High School following a dispute over a vape pin.
• 📣 The incident has led to protests by students demanding greater accountability and transparency from the district.

Texas School Discipline Data

• ⚖️ In Texas, expelling students for fighting is against the law, with common punishments including detention, suspension, or placement in an alternative school.
• 📊 Over the last school year, across 18 local districts, there were over 18,500 disciplinary actions, with the vast majority being in-school or out-of-school suspensions.
• 📉 Less than 7% of these disciplinary actions resulted in placement at a disciplinary alternative campus.

Goose Creek CISD and Sterling High Statistics

• 🏫 At Goose Creek CISD, only 3.9% of students disciplined for fighting were sent to an alternative school, while 72.8% received out-of-school suspension.
• 📈 Sterling High School reported over 100 fighting or mutual combat incidents in the past three school years, with 31 incidents three years ago, 34 the following year, and 37 last school year.
• 📧 Attempts to get specific discipline policy information from Goose Creek CISD were met with an automatic reply due to the district being closed for the holidays.