Jeff Metcalf says his next mission is to change Texas law so parents can hold public school districts civilly accountable when district negligence contributes to a student’s death.
During an exclusive interview with The Dallas Express, Metcalf criticized Frisco ISD’s response after his son Austin was fatally stabbed at a district track meet. He said he plans to seek legislation when the Texas Legislature returns in 2027.
Metcalf outlined the proposal during the same interview in which he discussed the Austin Metcalf Foundation, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
A teenager fatally stabbed Austin, a 17-year-old Memorial High School student and football player, during a Frisco ISD track meet on April 2, 2025. A Collin County jury later convicted another teenager of murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison.
District leadership under fire
Metcalf distinguished district leaders from the teachers and coaches who worked directly with Austin.
“We’re talking about the upper management then, more like the superintendent, not the coaches or the teachers at school,” he said.
He accused administrators of mishandling the district’s response from the beginning.
“They fumbled this all over from day one,” Metcalf said.
Metcalf alleged Frisco ISD handled surveillance video inconsistently and was not forthcoming with prosecutors during the criminal proceedings. He also said district officials first rejected his family’s request to read Austin’s name at graduation and award him a posthumous diploma, then reversed course.
Frisco ISD ultimately called Austin’s name at Memorial High School’s May 21, 2026, graduation, where Hunter accepted the posthumous diploma on his brother’s behalf.
Metcalf also criticized what he described as changes in the district’s response after outside pressure.
The Dallas Express asked Frisco ISD to respond to Metcalf’s claims about the district’s handling of the case, but the district did not respond before publication.
Push to limit school district immunity
Metcalf said he plans to build support before the 90th Texas Legislature convenes on January 12, 2027. He wants lawmakers to create a path for families to sue when school district negligence contributes to a student’s death.
“If you have a child and you send them to school, do you expect them to come home alive?” Metcalf said. “If they don’t, and the school is negligent, they should be held responsible.”
Current Texas law generally shields school districts from tort suits. The Texas Tort Claims Act does not apply to school districts except in cases involving motor vehicles.
In 2025, HB 4623 created a narrow exception. The law waives governmental immunity in certain sexual misconduct cases.
It applies when a public school acts with gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct in hiring, supervising, or employing a professional school employee. That employee must have committed sexual misconduct against a student or failed to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
The law caps actual damages at $500,000 per claimant and allows prevailing parties to recover court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. It applies only to acts or omissions on or after September 1, 2025.
That exception would not apply to Austin’s April 2, 2025, death and does not create a general cause of action for negligent school safety. Metcalf said lawmakers should build on the limited reform by giving parents legal recourse when school negligence contributes to a student’s death.
Although he acknowledged changing the law will be difficult, Metcalf said the issue is too important to ignore.
Grief drives the mission
Despite his policy focus, Metcalf said the emotional burden of losing Austin remains with him every day.
“People think grief is sadness,” he said. “It’s not. It’s rage. It’s pure, unfiltered rage.”
Metcalf credited his Christian faith and grief counseling with helping him move forward. He recalled advice from one counselor that changed his outlook.
“You don’t have to learn to live without him,” the counselor told him. “You need to learn to live for him.”
Metcalf said those words became the foundation for the mission he now pursues.
He also praised Austin’s twin brother, Hunter, who witnessed his brother’s death, returned to football, became a team captain and earned 2025 team MVP honors.
“He’s got the most mental fortitude of any person I’ve ever seen in my life,” Metcalf said.
Looking ahead, Metcalf said both sons continue to inspire him.
“I’ve got one son who looks down on me and makes sure I’m trying to make him proud, and I got another son who looks at me shoulder to shoulder,” he said. “I need to make sure I make him proud.”
Metcalf said that mission now extends beyond his family as he advocates for reforms he believes will better protect students and give parents a legal path to pursue claims when district negligence contributes to a student’s death.
Provided by Dallas Express
