A Baytown mother whose 16-year-old son was fatally stabbed at school is seeking tougher safeguards for pupils across Texas, with a proposed law requiring serious assaults on school premises to be reported to police and reviewed by prosecutors.
Rebecca Meismer held a community meeting on Tuesday to discuss the proposal, which she has named “Andrew’s Law” in memory of her son, Andrew Meismer. The teenager died after being stabbed with scissors during a confrontation at Ross S Sterling High School in December 2025.
Authorities allege the incident began with a dispute over a vape pen. Aundre Matthews, 18, has been charged with murder in connection with Andrew’s death.
What Andrew’s Law would change
Ms Meismer said physical assaults resulting in injury should not be dealt with solely through a school’s disciplinary system. Her proposal would require schools to notify law enforcement, preserve evidence and document injuries before cases were submitted to a district attorney for review.
“We want mandatory school reporting. We want initial police investigation to gather evidence, document injuries,” she said. “We want mandatory case submissions, meaning we want that case to go to the DA.”
She stressed that the measure would not automatically lead to criminal charges against every child involved in a fight. Instead, she said, it would ensure that serious incidents were properly investigated and assessed by prosecutors.
“It doesn’t mean that every case is gonna be prosecuted. It doesn’t mean that every child is gonna be treated like a criminal,” Ms Meismer said.
She has been discussing the proposal with lawmakers and hopes a bill can be drafted soon. Her aim is to establish a consistent process for dealing with serious violence in schools throughout Texas.
The meeting was attended by Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District superintendent Joe Rodriguez, school board president James Campisi, two Baytown city council members and a representative from the office of state representative Terri Leo-Wilson.
Baytown council member Sarah Graham said she supported the campaign, but argued that responsibility should not rest solely with schools or police.
“We get caught up in playing the blame game. We wanna blame the schools, wanna blame law enforcement, but there are many times that the parents themselves or the guardians are accountable to a high degree as well,” she said.
Calls for greater accountability in schools
The gathering was organised with help from Citizens 4 Strong Education, a Baytown community group campaigning for changes to school safety and accountability.
Jesse Hardin said police should take a more active role whenever a pupil or member of staff was injured on a school campus.
“I would like law enforcement to take an active role with any action that causes injury to a student or staff member on a campus,” she said.
Nick Rice, another member of the group, said schools needed to identify warning signs of violent behaviour and ensure that pupils received help before conflicts escalated.
He also said teachers and administrators should be made aware when students had a history of violent offences, arguing that staff needed relevant information to protect themselves and other pupils.
“Everyone deserves to come to a safe school environment,” Mr Rice said.
He acknowledged the wider impact of the Baytown stabbing, saying two families had lost a child and that the priority should be preventing another tragedy.
Ms Meismer said she would continue consulting community members, school officials and local leaders as she works to turn Andrew’s Law into legislation.
