Students at The Woodlands High School, College Park High School and every other Conroe ISD campus will not face paddling or any other form of corporal punishment this school year, according to a regional investigation that reviewed discipline policies at 20 Houston-area districts.
KPRC 2 published its findings on Wednesday, Aug. 19, confirming Conroe ISD is among 11 area districts that prohibit the practice. The investigation followed an incident at Port Arthur ISD's Memorial High School, where sophomore running back Noah Lopez alleges a football coach paddled him three times during a Saturday practice.
Conroe ISD, which enrolls roughly 72,900 students across 67 campuses in Montgomery County, was listed alongside Houston ISD, Katy ISD, CyFair ISD and seven other districts that do not authorize physical discipline.
The finding matters locally because Texas law still permits corporal punishment in any district whose school board adopts a policy allowing it. Under the Texas Education Code, parents must submit a written, signed opt-out to the school board each school year to prohibit the practice for their child.
Neighboring Magnolia ISD on the other list
Not every family has that protection.
Magnolia ISD, whose boundaries border Conroe ISD to the west, appeared on KPRC 2's list of districts whose student handbooks indicate corporal punishment is permitted with parental authorization.
Port Arthur incident sparked the review
Noah Lopez told KPRC 2 on Aug. 18 that his coach pulled him aside at practice and struck him with a paddle. His father, Henry Lopez, said he never signed anything authorizing physical discipline and was not notified beforehand.
Port Arthur ISD superintendent Dr. Mark Porterie confirmed in a statement that corporal punishment is authorized under the district's current board-adopted policy and that the district's policy does not require advance written parental consent. The Board of Trustees will revisit the policy to consider revisions.
Noah Lopez said after the incident he plans to move to Conroe to live with his father and enroll at Caney Creek High School, a Conroe ISD campus.
CISD discipline framework focuses on prevention
Conroe ISD superintendent Dave Vinson outlined the district's approach in an Aug. 7 back-to-school message, announcing a unified Discipline Management Framework emphasizing staff training on classroom culture, positive student-teacher connections and clear behavioral expectations. In that message, Vinson wrote that all students deserve a safe, supportive learning environment and that the district's top priorities remain safety, a sense of value and support for every child.
The framework does not specifically address corporal punishment. KPRC 2's confirmation that CISD prohibits the practice came from the station's review of district handbooks, not from a direct district statement.
KPRC 2 said it was still waiting to hear back from some districts as of the Aug. 19 publication. No upcoming Conroe ISD board action on corporal punishment policy is scheduled.
