Texas Sends Children as Young as 6 to Disciplinary Campuses

TEXAS — Texas public schools send thousands of elementary-age children each year to disciplinary alternative education programs, including students as young as 6, according to a new investigation based on state data and district records.

Nearly 4,000 elementary-school placements were made in the 2022-23 school year, the most recent year available for the grade-level analysis, The Hechinger Report found. The Texas Tribune published the investigation Sept. 29.

Disciplinary alternative education programs, known as DAEPs, operate separately from a student’s regular classroom. Texas law requires school districts to provide them and bars children age 5 and younger from placement. For children 6 and older, however, state law does not impose a minimum grade or a general age-based limit. Districts must separate elementary students from older students at the alternative campus.

The programs were created for serious misconduct, including certain drug offenses and harassment of school employees. But districts also have discretion to assign students for conduct covered by local codes. Records reviewed by The Hechinger Report showed elementary placements for defiance, attendance violations and other local-code offenses, along with more serious allegations.

Concerns about learning and disability

The investigation raises questions about whether young children can understand the rules they are accused of breaking and whether behavior tied to an unidentified disability is being treated primarily as misconduct.

Students receiving special-education services have federal protections in school discipline, and Texas officials must consider disability status when deciding a DAEP placement. But some families report that children were disciplined before receiving an evaluation or classroom support.

Education experts interviewed by The Hechinger Report warned that weeks away from a regular classroom can interrupt foundational reading and math instruction, weaken peer relationships and make a child’s return more difficult. A review of handbooks from 75 Texas districts found that many DAEPs require silence while students complete lessons, often on computers — a structure critics say is poorly suited to how young children learn.

The Texas Education Agency tracks DAEP assignments and reports them by the total length of a student’s placement: one to 30 days, 31 to 60 days, or more than 60 days.

State rules, local decisions

TEA spokesperson Ricky Garcia told The Hechinger Report that placements of young children are governed by local district policy. He said the agency encourages alternatives, including restorative practices, particularly for younger students.

Garcia also said a disciplinary conference must occur within three school days after administrators learn of the alleged misconduct. The conference gives the student an opportunity to respond and allows administrators to consider the circumstances before ordering a placement.

One case described in the investigation involved a McKinney kindergartner assigned to a DAEP for 30 days over an allegation that he kicked a teacher while struggling during a restraint. The placement letter was dated on his sixth birthday. The child’s mother said she had previously sought an evaluation because she believed a disability was contributing to his behavior. McKinney school officials did not respond to the news organization’s requests for comment.

Another family successfully overturned a 20-day DAEP assignment for their then-10-year-old daughter after a grievance process found no proof that markers she and classmates had smelled contained chemicals covered by the cited offense. The family later removed her from the district.

The cases underscore how much authority rests with local districts and how difficult it can be for families to challenge decisions. In most circumstances, Texas administrators may order DAEP placements without providing a formal appeal.

For parents, educators and lawmakers, the central question is whether separating a first-grader from a regular classroom corrects dangerous behavior or deepens the academic and emotional problems that led to it. The latest state figures show that the decision is not rare: thousands of Texas elementary children encounter the alternative-discipline system each year.

The post Texas Sends Children as Young as 6 to Disciplinary Campuses appeared first on African American News and Issues.