Texas governor pushes 10-year prison minimum for teachers who exploit students

Governor Greg Abbott used a Lubbock roundtable to call for a new law that would impose at least ten years of incarceration, no parole, and compulsory sex-offender registration on teachers who have illicit relationships with students. He emphasized the need to eliminate victimization in schools, citing a surge to over 1,700 reported cases in 2026, three times the previous year’s total. House Speaker Dustin Burrows pledged to make the proposal a legislative priority when the Texas Legislature meets next year.

Existing 2017 statutes already strip convicted teachers of their credentials and state pensions, while also allowing fines or jail time for administrators who ignore or fail to report abuse. Nearly 400 investigations were closed after preliminary reviews, but the number that resulted in convictions was not disclosed. Abbott framed the initiative as a response to the apparent failure of current penalties to deter misconduct.