A professional employee of the school district (a teacher) is not personally liable for any act that is within the scope or incident to his/her position of employment and that involves the exercise of judgment/discretion on the part of the employee. This is called immunity. This immunity applies to actions in Texas state courts.
Loss of Immunity If: the employee will be liable (will not be immune) if he/she uses excessive force or is negligent in the discipline of students.
Not for Motor Vehicles: the immunity does not apply to the operation, use, or maintenance of any motor vehicles.
A direct service volunteer of the school district has the same immunity unless the volunteer does something considered intentional misconduct or gross negligence.
A Note to Coaches—it is recommended that all activity associated with athletic training (like laps, pushups, etc) be assigned to students only for training or conditioning and not as punishment (which could cause a loss of immunity).