Talarico's past interview links school discipline to his smart-on-crime agenda

During a 2020 discussion on school discipline, Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico said that restorative justice in classrooms mirrors a larger effort to replace tough-on-crime tactics with smarter, less punitive approaches. He pointed to a bipartisan criminal-justice reform caucus in the Texas House as a catalyst for this shift. Talarico described restorative methods as more rigorous and effective than expulsions or suspensions, aiming to help students heal from trauma.

In 2021 he introduced HB 62 to curb in-school and out-of-school suspensions, but the proposal never left committee. Following the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, Republican voices, such as Rep. Steve Toth, argued that certain violent behaviors still require removal from classrooms. Talarico’s campaign maintains that he supports both safety and smart-on-crime policies while criticizing opponent Ken Paxton’s record on public safety.