‘I do not care’: A Texas teacher says they removed two students without asking the vice principal, and that the parents are ‘still in denial’

A Texas eighth-grade teacher says they used state law to remove two students from class without first asking the vice principal. The teacher shared the account on the r/TexasTeachers subreddit under the username Plastic_Simple_1776. The teacher says the parents of the boys are “still in denial.” According to The Nerd Stash, the post carries the title “I did it. I kicked 2 kids out of my classroom, legally.”

The teacher described the two boys as allegedly misbehaving again and again and accuses them of flipping tables “for fun.” The school had wanted teachers to build relationships with students. The teacher then read the part of the Texas Education Code that lets teachers remove students and decided to use it.

After the removal, the teacher completed the paperwork and informed the vice principal and the parents. The teacher says the administration and the district are “scrambling because this has never happened.” The boys cannot return until the school and their parents develop an “intervention,” according to the post. The teacher adds that the rest of the class is improving.

Texas law lets teachers remove disruptive students

Section 37.002 of the Texas Education Code covers removal by a teacher. A teacher may first send a student to the campus behavior coordinator, who uses discipline methods that fit the district’s student code of conduct. If the behavior does not improve, the coordinator can turn to other techniques. That step is separate from removing a student from class altogether.

A teacher may also remove a student from class. The law lists three grounds. The first is repeatedly interfering with the teacher’s ability to communicate effectively. The second is unruly, disruptive or abusive conduct. The third is bullying as defined in section 37.0832. A single incident of that conduct can be enough.

After a removal, the principal decides where the student goes next. The options are another appropriate classroom, in-school suspension or a disciplinary alternative education program. The school must hold a conference no later than the third class day after the removal, and the teacher must be given a chance to take part. Administrators must also tell the student and parent about their right to appeal at that conference.

The principal generally cannot send the student back to that teacher’s class without the teacher’s written consent. If the teacher does not consent, a placement review committee decides. The committee has three members, two chosen by the faculty and one by the principal, and the teacher who removed the student cannot serve on it. It can return the student only if it finds that is the best or only option available.

A separate part of the section protects teachers who write up misbehavior. A teacher can document conduct that breaks the student code and hand it to the principal, and the district may not discipline the teacher because of that documentation. Removals of students who receive special education services are also subject to additional state and federal rules.

The teacher says they have also begun emailing many parents about lesser behavior problems. The aim, in the teacher’s words, is that “everyone shapes up.” The teacher says the removal is meant to draw a “line in the sand.” Commenters on the post praised the move, while others warned the teacher could lose their job. The teacher answered, “I do not care,” and said they have more than 20 years of experience.

The post adds to a run of teachers sharing workplace frustrations online, including an elementary teacher who cried on video.