Texas Schoolchildren Face Criminal Charges for Minor Misbehavior, Analysis Reveals

An analysis by The New York Times and The San Antonio Express-News found that tens of thousands of elementary and middle school students in Texas have been swept into the justice system for minor offenses since 2014, with over 4,800 children aged 10 to 13 referred for prosecution in the 2024-25 academic year alone. This trend, a third higher than a decade prior, is attributed to increased police presence and tougher discipline in schools, raising concerns about the criminalization of minor misbehavior in K-12 education.