Boswell High's Dictator Principal Tramples Constitution, Demands Students Bow to Government Authority

As a Boswell alumnus with a doctorate in education, I could not stay silent when the principal threatened students with suspension, truancy charges, and graduation exclusion for exercising their First Amendment rights.

FORT WORTH, Texas. When students at my alma mater, Boswell High School, walked out of class on January 30, 2026, to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, they joined a nationwide movement sparked by the fatal shootings of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents in Minneapolis.

What they received in return was a letter from Principal Ryan Wilson threatening "suspension, truancy filings, and/or a loss of privileges including attending prom or walking at graduation."

I could not let that stand.

On February 2, 2026, I sent an 11 section formal response to Principal Wilson challenging the administration's approach as constitutionally deficient and potentially actionable under federal civil rights law. What follows is the story of why I felt compelled to act, and what I believe is at stake for students across Texas.

"Students Do Not Shed Their Constitutional Rights"

My letter opens with the landmark 1969 Supreme Court decision Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, in which the Court held that students "do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."

Principal Wilson's letter provides no evidence that the walkout created any "material and substantial disruption" beyond students' absence from class, which is the constitutional standard required to suppress student speech under Tinker. As the Supreme Court made clear, "undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression."

When the students walked off campus to a nearby church and then to a Walmart parking lot, they were engaged in off campus expression, which receives even greater First Amendment protection under the Supreme Court's 2021 decision in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.

Police Deployment as Intimidation

One of my sharpest criticisms concerns the district's decision to deploy EMS ISD Police to "monitor" the protesting students as they walked along Bailey Boswell Road.

I obtained photographic and video evidence from Nightcrawler Media in Fort Worth showing students walking peacefully in an orderly formation on a clear day, with a marked police vehicle following them. The visual record directly contradicts the administration's characterization of the event as one that "greatly compromised" student safety.

"The message sent by this police presence is unmistakable: your government is watching you," I wrote. "Yet the students visible in these images are walking peacefully. They pose no apparent threat to themselves, to traffic, or to the community."

Federal courts have long recognized that government surveillance of peaceful protest activity can violate the First Amendment by creating a "chilling effect," deterring future speech through the implicit threat of consequences. That is precisely what happened here.

Other Districts Got This Right

What makes Principal Wilson's response so troubling is how sharply it contrasts with how other Texas school districts handled the exact same wave of protests.

At Sam Houston High School in Arlington, just 25 miles away, Principal Juan Villarreal told reporters: "Our job as educators is to ensure students are treated with dignity and respect."

Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura, while making clear that student absences would be unexcused and the walkouts were not district sanctioned, framed the presence of district police officers with students as a commitment to safety rather than surveillance. "During the school day, our students are our responsibility and we're committed to the safety of our students in our community, regardless if they are on our campus," Segura wrote.

San Antonio ISD provided on campus spaces for students to exercise their protest rights during lunch periods. At Del Valle ISD near Austin, when a safety concern arose on the day of a planned walkout, administrators provided an indoor assembly area rather than canceling the opportunity for expression.

Principal Wilson's letter represents an outlier: a response disproportionate to the conduct at issue and out of step with how peer institutions across the region have handled identical situations.

The Irony Is Inescapable

Perhaps the most striking aspect of this situation is Principal Wilson's own history with student protest.

In May 2025, when Carroll ISD in Southlake declined to renew Wilson's contract as principal of Carroll Senior High School, more than 100 students and parents organized protests on his behalf. They showed up at school board meetings with signs. They organized petitions. They spoke passionately about what Wilson meant to them. Senior Madeline Riehl told reporters: "If they had cause to actually fire him, we would be here dealing with that, and they're not. They're trying to silently push him out, which is why we're all here, very upset."

Those students exercised their First Amendment rights to advocate for an administrator they valued. They disrupted school board meetings. They organized and mobilized. And Principal Wilson, by all accounts, was moved by their support.

The irony is inescapable: a principal who benefited from student protests on his behalf at his former school is now threatening severe consequences against students who exercise the same rights at his new school.

The students at Boswell High School deserve the same respect for their civic engagement that Principal Wilson received from the students at Carroll Senior High School. That he would deny them this respect represents a profound failure of leadership.

What I Am Demanding

My letter concludes with a series of demands:

First, the district must rescind its threats against walkout participants. Students should not face suspension, truancy proceedings, or exclusion from prom or graduation solely for participating in peaceful protest.

Second, if any disciplinary action is contemplated against any individual student, the district must ensure that student receives all procedural protections required by Goss v. Lopez and the Texas Education Code.

Third, the district must review its policies regarding the deployment of law enforcement to monitor student expression.

Fourth, rather than threatening students who raised their voices, the administration should create meaningful opportunities for dialogue and meet with student organizers to understand their concerns.

I also warned of potential civil rights liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the federal statute that allows individuals to sue government officials who violate their constitutional rights.

I copied my letter to EMS ISD Superintendent Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, the Texas Education Agency, and several civil liberties organizations including the ACLU and the Texas Civil Rights Project.

The Bigger Picture

The Boswell walkout is part of a broader wave of student activism that has drawn scrutiny from state officials. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into Austin ISD, demanding documents about the district's involvement in student walkouts. Governor Greg Abbott called for the Texas Education Agency to investigate AISD after videos showed district vehicles near protesting students.

The Texas Education Agency issued guidance warning that educators who encourage or help students leave class for political activism could face professional sanctions, and that districts failing to adhere to attendance requirements could face audits, investigations, or state takeover.

But these responses conflate keeping students safe during a protest they've chosen to attend with endorsing the protest itself. When Austin ISD sent police to accompany students, it was fulfilling its duty of care, not making a political statement. The same principle should apply everywhere.

Why This Matters

I graduated from Boswell High School in 2014. I hold a doctorate in education. I have spent my career thinking about how schools can best serve students.

When students walk out of school to make their voices heard on issues they care about, the appropriate response is not to threaten them with criminal proceedings and exclusion from cherished milestones. It is to listen, to engage, and to model the respectful discourse that we hope to instill in the next generation.

The students of Boswell High School are not inmates to be monitored and disciplined into compliance. They are young citizens practicing the skills of civic engagement that a democratic society depends upon.

I urge Principal Wilson and Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD to reconsider the approach reflected in that letter and to recommit to the constitutional values that public schools are meant to embody.

**The student walkouts across Texas on January 30, 2026, were part of a "National Shutdown" movement protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, particularly following the deaths of Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24 in Minneapolis. Students from at least 14 Austin ISD campuses, more than 20 San Antonio area high schools, multiple Waco schools, and schools across the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex participated in the demonstrations.

Michael Moates, Ed.D., LBA, CEAP, is a 2014 graduate of Boswell High School and an adjunct professor.