Hazing
Educ. Code 37.152 — hazing, encouraging it, permitting it, and failing to report it
In Texas, a person commits an offense who engages in hazing; solicits, encourages, directs, aids or attempts to aid another in it; recklessly permits it to occur; or, with firsthand knowledge of a planned or completed hazing incident involving a student, knowingly fails to report it to the dean of students or another appropriate official, a peace officer or a law enforcement agency.
| The conduct | The grade |
|---|---|
| The conductFailing to report | The gradeClass B misdemeanor |
| The conductAny other hazing offense without serious bodily injury | The gradeClass B misdemeanor |
| The conductCausing serious bodily injury | The gradeClass A misdemeanor |
| The conductCausing death | The gradeState jail felony |
- Except where a student died, the court may order community service in place of some or all county jail time.
Other crimes committed in the course of hazing are charged under their own sections, and schools keep their own discipline. What a grade means in fines and jail is on this state's charges page. Whether conduct was hazing is a question for a court and for a licensed Texas attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Educ. Code 37.152 — Personal hazing offense
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Texas attorney.