State bill will allow teachers to use deadly force against students
A proposed bill in Austin, Texas, would allow teachers to use deadly force to protect themselves against students without the risk of prosecution.
The Teacher’s Protection Act, spearheaded by Rep. Dan Flynn, would allow the use of deadly force in self-defense, in protection of school property, and to protect others. Teachers are already protected under self-defense laws that say “use of force, but not deadly force, against a (student) is justified,” but Flynn would like to give teachers an added protection.
But the state’s largest educational association, the Association of Texas Professional Educators, feels that the law will not provide any safety net for teachers that does not already exist. “Educators in Texas actually do have some legal protections that do allow them to use physical force to protect themselves and protect others, as long as the use of physical force is reasonable,” said ATPE managing attorney Paul Tapp.
This bill was introduced days before a YouTube video went viral showing a 9th-grade student in New Jersey assaulting a physics teacher over a cell phone.
