Investigations into Texas school discipline show a continued shift toward policing—documenting pepper-spraying, tackling, and tasers used on students and detailing how disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEPs) expanded after pandemic-era returns to in-person schooling. Reporters identified more than 2,600 use-of-force incidents from 2022 through 2025 based on partial record access, with hundreds supported by detailed reports and video. The coverage also highlights how DAEP placements have become a central discipline mechanism, including for infractions critics describe as minor and for behaviors that extend beyond serious offenses. Texas lawmakers expanded DAEP eligibility through House Bill 6, increasing districts’ discretion to place students for disruptive behavior. Although Texas Education Agency oversight exists, critics point to limited monitoring, minimal family recourse, and the risk that educational outcomes in DAEP settings are inconsistent—creating downstream impacts for student enrollment stability and educational attainment.