San Antonio Substitute Teacher Suspended After Immigration Threat

A 12-year-old student at Sam Rayburn Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, was left traumatized after a substitute teacher threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the police if the child skipped soccer training. The incident, which prompted the immediate removal of the substitute instructor, has drawn intense public scrutiny over anti-immigrant rhetoric affecting vulnerable minors in local classrooms, univision.com reported.

Substitute Teacher Removed After Immigration Threat at San Antonio Middle School

School officials moved quickly once the allegation surfaced. Barry Perez, the district’s assistant superintendent of communications, confirmed that a student reported the substitute teacher. Perez stated that the substitute was removed from the campus immediately and that his status as a substitute teacher has been suspended while an investigation proceeds.

Constitutional Protections Guarantee Public Education Regardless of Status

Hasta el final de la high school (12 grado) prevalece su derecho constitucional a la educación. Aunque no aparece textualmente, pertenece a la décimo cuarta enmienda. Recoge la Cláusula de Igualdad de Protección que obliga a los estados a garantizar a todas las personas dentro de la jurisdicción la misma protección de las leyes.

Ezequiel Hernández

Hernández also noted that the United States Supreme Court established firm legal precedent in the landmark 1980 case Plyler v. Doe, ruling that public schools cannot deny education to children lacking legal immigration status. The attorney confirmed that a lack of documentation does not strip a minor of their right to attend public school, that the threats made by the substitute teacher had no legal backing.