Police officers in Texas schools have the same power and authority that any other police officer outside of the school building has.
They are not required, and are sometimes not trained, to use special, youth-focused techniques or responses when they enter the school building and interact with students. When officers are inside the school building or are asked to respond to an incident by an educator or administrator, they can use any tool at their disposal.
Unfortunately, sometimes police officers in schools respond with tools that can be harmful to students, including:
- tasers and pepper spray
- tickets and complaints
- restraints and arrests
- holds and pains compliance maneuvers.
From 2011 to 2015, police officers in 72 school districts in Texas arrested students 29,000 times and issued more than 41,000 tickets or complaints.