Texas law lets you remove a student from your class.

You notify your principal. You don't ask.

Is this right for my classroom? →

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A teacher writing in a notebook at her desk after school

Two teachers in a school hallway looking at a phone together

Wait. Is that real?

Yes. It's Texas law, and has been since 1995.

“A teacher may remove from class a student who...”

Texas Education Code §37.002(b)

So why haven't you heard of it?

179

removals the state recorded in all of Texas in 2024-25, among about 370,000 teachers. The same year, schools recorded 3,755 assaults on school employees. Most teachers are never told they can. In 2025 the law got stronger, and now it protects your job when you use it.

Why you've never heard of it

When can I use it?

When a student does any one of these. One incident can be enough.

Keeps disruptingRepeatedly gets in the way of your teaching, or of other students' learning.

Crosses a lineIs unruly, disruptive, or abusive toward you, another adult, or a student.

Bullies someoneBullies another student, as Texas law defines bullying.

It's a serious tool for serious problems, not for one bad day. When to use it, and when not to

What actually happens?

Four steps, and you lead the first.

1You write it downWhat happened, and what you tried.

2You notify your principalIn writing. You don't ask permission.

3A meeting within three class daysThe student stays out of your class until it happens.

4You decide on the returnYour written consent, or the law's steps without it.

Four adults meeting around a small table with papers

Can they just send the student back?

Not without your written consent.

Without it, the law requires all three:

The campus committee decides your class is the best or only option.
A conference you were invited to is held within three class days.
A written return-to-class plan exists.

Is this up to my principal?

No. These are legal requirements, not school policy.

The law uses the words “shall” and “may not.” Those aren't suggestions.

“A teacher may remove from class a student who...”The decision is yours, not a request to approve. §37.002(b)
The parent “shall” be notifiedby you, the campus behavior coordinator, or another administrator. §37.002(b-2)
The school “shall schedule a conference”not later than the third class day after the removal. §37.009(a)
“The student may not be returned to the regular classroom pending the conference.”§37.009(a)
“The principal may not return the student to that teacher's class without the teacher's written consent”unless the committee, a timely conference, and a written plan all happen. §37.002(c)
“Each school shall establish” a placement review committee,two of whose three members are chosen by the faculty. §37.003
You “may not be subject to disciplinary proceedings”for a good-faith removal. §22.05121

If your school ignores the law, here's what to do · Read every word of it

A teacher's hand sliding a letter across a desk toward the office

Sounds like a lot of paperwork.

We write it with you.

Tell us where you are, answer a few questions, and the letter you need is written from your answers: your notice, your incident log, and every follow-up. Print it, save it as a PDF, or copy it into an email. Nothing you type is saved or sent.

Write your letters, free →Prefer paper? The workbook

Has anyone done this?

Four teachers, four stories.

Every day, againMs. Rivera, 2nd grade

One student stopped her reading lessons almost every day for three weeks.

One thing crossed a lineMr. Okafor, 7th grade science

A single outburst aimed at a classmate and at him, in front of everyone.

A student is being bulliedMrs. Chen, 4th grade

One student kept targeting a classmate until she stopped coming to school.

A threat, and the office sent him backMr. Alvarez, 8th grade science

What went wrong when he asked instead of removing, and what the law let him do.

The questions every teacher asks

Won't he just go to the teacher next door?

Maybe. The principal decides the placement, not you, and your colleague has the same right you do. A record that follows the student is what finally gets him a real plan.

My principal won't like it.

Possibly, at first. But a district may not discipline a teacher for documentation she submits, and since 2025 a teacher can't be fired, suspended, or not renewed for a good-faith removal. Stay factual, and keep everything in writing. What principals often say

The parent will be angry.

The law requires the parent to be notified, by you, the campus behavior coordinator, or another administrator. The conference is where the parent hears the reasons and responds, with an administrator there.

He has an IEP. Can I still do this?

Yes. Extra steps apply through the ARD committee, but the law doesn't take away your right to remove. IEP and 504

Is this fair to the student?

The law gives the student notice of the reasons, a chance to respond, and a right to appeal. A removal is often what gets a struggling student a plan that fits.

Will my information be safe?

We never see it. Your letters are written in your own browser and never sent to us, and nothing is saved. Close the page and it's gone. What we keep

A calm classroom with students working and the teacher at the board

Is it right for your classroom?

Find out in two minutes with five quick questions. Then write your letters, or print the workbook and follow it on paper.

Does it apply? →Write your letters