Houston-based @nytimes reporter. Formerly @Hou_Landing, @The74. Reach me: [email protected]
Houston, TX
Joined June 2020
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After Uvalde, Texas undertook an ambitious effort to station a police officer at every school.
Since then, students have been tackled, pepper sprayed and Tasered. Many episodes began over minor infractions like breaking dress code or vaping.
Our report: nytimes.com/interactive/2026…
For Texas schoolchildren, minor misbehavior can mean criminal charges.
The boy in the cell is 13. He shouted “I’m going to kill you” at classmates who beat him up, his mom said.
He was held in juvie for nearly two weeks.
Full investigation in @nytimes
📸: @MeridithKohut
Police presence in Texas schools has swelled.
So has the number of kids referred for prosecution.
Playground scuffles or threats that might otherwise yield suspensions were instead handled by police — routing thousands of 10-13 y/os to the justice system nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/te…
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
For years, Texas has been on the leading edge of an effort to ramp up school policing. It has had a profound effect on students ages 10 to 13. My latest, with @kristianreports, @small_asher and @rosiecima: nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/te…
Police presence in Texas schools has swelled.
So has the number of kids referred for prosecution.
Playground scuffles or threats that might otherwise yield suspensions were instead handled by police — routing thousands of 10-13 y/os to the justice system nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/te…
Heavy, important story from @amanda_geduld and @kjemoore15.
They examined 2,000 cases of child sexual abuse in NY schools that recently came to light.
The cases are horrifying — and show abuse at school could be far more common than previously known
the74million.org/article/new…
Don't miss this remarkable @Amari_Clare story of a school policing incident gone wrong.
The San Antonio case, caught fully on video, includes a rare admission from the officer that he wished he handled it differently nytimes.com/2026/08/06/us/co…
Congrats, brother! Your stories always teach me something new about Houston. Excited for what you'll cook up on this new beat
Happy to share that I’m now covering politics at the Chronicle. I’ll be focusing on Houston’s state and federal lawmakers, and how what happens in Austin and DC affects all of us here at home. Excited to get started!
houstonchronicle.com/about/n…
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
This story from @RASchuetz and @JustJhair is one everyone should read from start to finish.
"Why Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's killing reverberates through Houston's oldest Mexican American neighborhood" (gift link)
houstonchronicle.com/news/ho…
Enjoyed discussing our investigation into Texas school policing this morning with @CohenCraig on @HoustonPubMedia's @HoustonMatters program. The interview is now available on YouTube: youtu.be/bDfP89AdVnU?si=z6Yo…
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
The best surprise when I got a chance to hang with my buddy/former @Hou_Landing colleague @small_asher at @HoustonPubMedia this morning.
Read his new @nytimes investigation here:
nytimes.com/interactive/2026… – at Houston, TX
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
In Texas schools, officers get physical with students almost every day but there are no safeguards to prevent overreach or hold those accused of excessive force accountable. Read my latest investigation @nytimes @ExpressNews with @Amari_Clare @small_asher nytimes.com/interactive/2026…
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
More than two years ago, I obtained video footage of an arrest at a Texas high school.
It showed an officer confronting a student who had thrown a can at a girl in his special education classroom. The officer dragged the 17-year-old boy to the ground and punched him. 🧵
For context, this is what a hogtie looks like. In one of the cases, the boy was left face down in the backseat of the police car for roughly 20 minutes in this position
One of the most severe cases in our investigation: A 10-year-old with disabilities who was hogtied three separate times by an officer. Twice when he left campus and once when he kicked the principal.
@eliz_sander and I covered in-depth: houstonchronicle.com/news/ho…
One of the most severe cases in our investigation: A 10-year-old with disabilities who was hogtied three separate times by an officer. Twice when he left campus and once when he kicked the principal.
@eliz_sander and I covered in-depth: houstonchronicle.com/news/ho…
After Uvalde, Texas undertook an ambitious effort to station a police officer at every school.
Since then, students have been tackled, pepper sprayed and Tasered. Many episodes began over minor infractions like breaking dress code or vaping.
Our report: nytimes.com/interactive/2026…
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
Having served as an assistant principal, I valued our SRO. But in hindsight, we relied on him too much for low-level discipline. This article hits hard because I’ve seen how easily the line blurs. Thanks @Amari_Clare, @kristianreports, and @small_asher for your vital reporting.
A new @nytimes investigation shows the extreme end of using police to manage student discipline.
There’s a huge, unexamined leap in logic between “We need to protect children from active shooters” and “We must place an armed law enforcement officer inside every school building.”
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
Proud of my friend @small_asher and his colleagues, who worked hard to uncover thousands of cases in which TX school police have used force on students. Some of these incidents just defy belief. Worth a read
nytimes.com/interactive/2026…
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
Since Uvalde, TX has invested billions in stationing school police officers at public school campuses, often without guardrails to ensure students weren't subjected to strong physical force for minor misbehavior.
expressnews.com/news/educati… #txed #txlege
Proud to publish this story with my incredible co-reporters @Amari_Clare, @kristianreports and editor @kmcgrory. @ExpressNews were great partners, @EmilyJDonaldson, @melissm8 and @LizTeitz.
This story is a year in the making. Hope you'll give it a read
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
New: @HoustonISD names the schools planned for closure or co-location. More in article below:
Breaking: @HoustonISD to move forward with closing 12 schools starting in 2026-27 year.
houstonchronicle.com/news/ho…
Asher Lehrer-Small retweeted
Breaking: @HoustonISD to move forward with closing 12 schools starting in 2026-27 year.
houstonchronicle.com/news/ho…