Gov. Greg Abbott journeyed to West Texas this week to announce the state will be cracking down even further on teachers who abuse their position to sexually assault, abuse or groom students.
Abbott announced his new initiative on Aug. 11 during a gathering in Lubbock after speaking with a group of law enforcement officials and superintendents, as well as a survivor in Lubbock. He said it would task Texas lawmakers with creating tougher penalties for educators and school employees convicted of improper relationships with students.
“Now, to be clear, Texas has stepped up and repeatedly addressed these challenges. I sign laws that crack down on inappropriate teacher-student relationships,” Abbott said. “Well, with literally 1000s of violations in just the past two years, clearly the message has not been received to stop assaulting students in our schools.”
Under Abbott’s initiative, he is proposing a new law that:
This would be in addition to creating new laws that would support students in speaking up against alleged abuses, reporting them when they occur and even training students to spot warning signs.
“They know far more about what is really taking place on the ground in reality than what parents or even educators know,” Abbott said. “We, as legislators, we as adults, need to do a better job of listening to our children in our schools and hear from them about what they are seeing, what they’re hearing, what they are facing.”
Why announce the initiative in Lubbock?
Abbott said he picked Lubbock as the venue to announce his proposals because of a case that involved former LISD teacher James Tapley who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March 2025 after he pleaded guilty to counts of having an improper relationship with a student and online solicitation of a minor.
“Right now, that is the exception in Texas. I want that to become the rule in our state,” Abbott said of the prison sentence.
Tapley admitted to providing a student a cellphone in 2023 while he was grooming her for a sexual relationship, according to court documents.
In Texas, teachers convicted of having an improper relationship with a student face a prison sentence of two to 20 years in prison.
Depending of the nature of the case, offenders could also face felony charges that include: continuous sexual abuse of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual assault of a child and online solicitation of a minor.
Penalties for those offenses range from two years to life in prison without parole. A conviction on those charges would also require registration to the state’s sex offender registry.
However, registration isn’t mandatory in convictions for improper relationship between an educator and student.
Attendees of the meeting heard from the survivor of Tapley’s abuse.
The girl said she shared her story to hopefully protect future students from going through what she went through.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal does not identify victims of sexual abuse.
“If my story can help another child be seen sooner, or help recognize the warning signs, then I’m going to use my voice to do that,” the survivor said. “I can’t go back and protect the little girl I was then, but maybe what we’re doing today can protect the next one.”
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
Gabriel Monte is the criminal justice reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at gmonte@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Abbott’s new student safety initiative inspired by Lubbock teacher case
Reporting by Mateo Rosiles and Gabriel Monte, USA TODAY NETWORK / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mateo Rosiles and Gabriel Monte, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
