Is More Discipline the Answer? What Texas House Bill 6 Means for Our Students, And Our Future

https://youtu.be/UfQimZMiydQ

Texas just passed House Bill 6, and on paper, it looks like a crackdown on student “misbehavior.” It gives schools more power to suspend, expel, and isolate students—especially those labeled disruptive.

But here’s the question we’re not asking enough: is more discipline the answer?

Because if discipline were the solution, wouldn’t we have fixed this by now?

What’s In HB 6?

Let’s break it down.

Texas House Bill 6 allows:

• Unlimited in-school suspensions (ISS) with periodic review
• Out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for young children, including kindergartners and homeless students
• Placement in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEP) even for virtual learning or off-campus incidents
• Charter schools to deny enrollment to students with certain criminal records
• Principals to send students out of class or campus for behavior they view as disruptive—even without a formal investigation

This law reverses protections that were intentionally put in place to support vulnerable kids.

The Argument For It

Supporters say HB 6 gives schools more flexibility. That it protects teachers. That it helps restore order in classrooms that are falling apart post-pandemic.

And I get that. Teachers are burned out. Classrooms are stretched. Some students are acting out because they’re carrying trauma no one has time—or resources—to address.

The impulse to remove “problem students” isn’t random. It comes from real frustration.

But reactionary policy made out of frustration rarely creates meaningful change.

What’s the Harm?

What happens when schools are told: “Here’s more power to punish—but no new resources to support”?

They isolate.

They remove.

They suspend.

Because it’s fast, cheap, and easy.

Let’s be real: most schools aren’t equipped with enough social workers, counselors, or trauma-informed staff. They’re already underfunded. And now, with the U.S. Department of Education being quietly dismantled, things are only going to get harder.

So instead of building up support, we just remove the student and call it a solution.

What Does That Teach Kids?

It teaches them they’re a problem.

That they don’t belong.

That if you mess up, you get pushed out—sometimes permanently.

And from there? It’s a straight line to policing, to criminalization, to being written off completely. We’ve seen it before. We know what the school-to-prison pipeline looks like. And we’re still walking down that road.

The Bigger Truth We Miss

Here’s the deeper truth: every time we remove a student, we teach them how disposable they are.

And that doesn’t just hurt them—it weakens all of us.

Because a kid who believes they’re a problem becomes an adult who struggles to believe in their own worth.

And a society filled with people who were shamed, shunned, and criminalized when they were most vulnerable? That’s not a society that’s going to thrive.

We should be building emotionally healthy, critically thinking human beings. Not pushing them out when they become inconvenient.

So, Is More Discipline the Answer?

If it comes with support, maybe.

But if it’s just more punishment with no healing? No growth? No equity?

Then no, it’s not the answer. It’s just easier.

And when easy policies hurt people, we need to do better.

What You Can Do

• If you’re in Texas: Ask your district how they’re applying HB 6. Are they capping ISS? Tracking data by race, ability, and housing status? Offering wraparound support?
• If you’re outside Texas: Stay alert. This kind of legislation travels. Talk to your school board about what’s happening in your community.
• Advocate: Push for restorative justice programs. Support mental health professionals in schools. Ask better questions. Demand more than discipline.

Because the measure of a school isn’t how fast it can suspend a kid. It’s how far it’ll go to keep them in the room.

📌 What would you want your child’s school to do instead of suspension?
💬 Drop a comment below, and let’s push this conversation deeper.
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#educationalEquity #hb6 #issOss #publicEducationReform #schoolDiscipline #specialEducation #studentAdvocacy #studentRights #texasLegislation #traumaInformedSchools

As part of Open Education Week I was privileged to interview Gino Fransman from Nelson Mandela University. In this interview, he discusses the exceptional Open Education Influencers (OEIs) project, which empowers students to advocate for and engage with OER.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JhBHbUlULM

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https://associationofacademicsupporteducators.org/statements/scattershot-rollout-of-nextgen-exam-may-exacerbate-disparate-bar-pass-outcomes/

https://player.hourone.ai/19bfd7b2c90b4ddda9ba5bd6a84bdcc8

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