East Central supporters seek to clear student discipline records tied to February 13 anti-ICE walkout

Rally focuses on student disciplinary records after East Central High School walkout

A rally planned for Thursday evening in East Central is centered on a narrow request: removing or reducing disciplinary consequences recorded against students who left campus during a February 13 walkout opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

The event is scheduled for 5 p.m. outside East Central ISD’s administration building on New Sulphur Springs Road. Organizers have described the gathering as a press conference and a call for the district to eliminate punishments and ensure disciplinary actions do not remain on student records.

What the district has confirmed about the February 13 incident

East Central ISD has stated that 30 students who left class without authorization were disciplined. The district said the consequences were applied under the Student Code of Conduct, the Texas Education Code, and guidance issued by the Texas Education Agency, and that no students were expelled.

Students and advocates have disputed parts of the district’s account. Claims circulated in the days after the walkout included allegations that at least one student was expelled and that another student faced an extended placement in an alternative setting. Subsequent accounts from organizers said the student described as expelled was later re-enrolled, and that another punishment was modified to a prolonged in-school suspension. The district has maintained publicly that expulsions did not occur.

What “expunging” a school record can mean in practice

The rally’s message uses language often associated with criminal-record expunctions, but the immediate issue involves school discipline files and activity restrictions. In the K-12 context, record changes typically involve administrative revisions such as updating disciplinary codes, shortening sanction periods, or removing notations from a student’s campus record when district policy allows.

Supporters argue that lasting entries can affect students beyond the initial punishment, including eligibility for extracurricular activities and, depending on policy, how administrators evaluate future incidents. The district has not publicly detailed how discipline notations from this incident will be retained or reported over time.

Broader context: student walkouts and enforcement scrutiny

The East Central walkout occurred amid a broader wave of student-led demonstrations in the San Antonio area tied to immigration enforcement concerns. Some districts have treated walkouts primarily as attendance violations, while others have used suspension or extracurricular restrictions.

East Central ISD’s response has drawn attention because of the number of students disciplined and reported limits tied to school activities. The district has characterized its actions as policy-driven and aligned with state guidance.

• When: Thursday, Feb. 26, 5 p.m.

• Where: Outside East Central ISD’s administration building on New Sulphur Springs Road

• Issue: Whether discipline from the Feb. 13 walkout should be reduced or removed from student records

The dispute now centers less on whether students left campus and more on how the district should document and penalize that decision.

As of Thursday afternoon, the district had not announced any new changes to the disciplinary outcomes connected to the walkout. The rally is expected to press for formal reversals and written assurances regarding student records.