Assault of a Sports Official

Effective beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, an amendment to the Texas Education Code now requires a high school student athlete who assaults an official to be suspended from all University Interscholastic League (UIL) activities for a minimum of two (2) years, if the UIL finds that a student "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes bodily injury to a person serving as a referee, judge, or other official of an extracurricular activity in retaliation for or as a result of the person's actions taken in performing the duties of the referee, judge, or other official of the extracurricular activity."

In addition, effective August 1, 2021, the UIL has amended Section 1207 of its constitution and rules to allow all Texas school districts to prohibit and suspend any spectator from attending any and all UIL athletic events shoud a spectator commit an offense defined within the Texas Penal Code 22.01 (C)(2) - Assault of a sports participant, i.e., an athlete, referee, linesman, coach, instructor, administrator or staff member.