MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing for tougher penalties for educators convicted of inappropriate relationships with students.
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott is proposing a minimum 10-year prison sentence with no parole for teachers convicted of inappropriate relationships with students, along with mandatory sex offender registration and pension forfeiture.
- More than 1,700 allegations of inappropriate teacher-student relationships were reported across Texas in 2026 — three times the number from the previous year — though it is unclear how many reports led to convictions.
- Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has backed the proposal, signaling it will be a priority when state lawmakers convene next year.
- A 2017 Texas law already requires teachers convicted of such misconduct to forfeit their teaching credentials and lose their pensions, and allows fines up to $10,000 or jail time for administrators who fail to report improper relationships.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Gov. Greg Abbott is proposing tougher penalties for educators involved in inappropriate student-teacher relationships, including a minimum 10-year prison sentence without parole and sex offender registration for convicted educators.
The proposal would increase the current minimum punishment from 2 years to 10 years. Under current law, convicted educators face 2 to 20 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.
"I think we need to do more to criminalize child predators," one neighbor said.
Abbott addressed the proposal directly.
"We must protect our students and lock up predators. Together, we will keep Texas classrooms a safe space for children to learn, grow, and succeed," Abbott said.
In 2026, 1,772 investigations of inappropriate sexual romantic relationships, improper communication, and grooming have been reported, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Neighbors spoken with agree with the increased punishment but expressed concern about the burden of proof.
"They should not be involved in the student. The only thing they should be responsible is the education of the student to make sure he gets the education," James Shoenrock said.
"I definitely think the sentence should be more than 2 years. And so I agree, you know, being a Democrat, I do agree with Governor Abbott on that. 10 years might be, you know, a lot, and I would really hope they have a stringent way of proving that guilt because I can foresee, you know, you know, problems with making sure that the person is actually guilty, but I definitely think there should be a longer term for child predators," Mandy Dillon said.
Waco ISD said within the past year, it has not had any reports of improper student-teacher relationships.
The McLennan County District Attorney's office did not respond before publication.
House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the Texas House looks to partner with Abbott in the next session to turn this initiative into action.
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