A summary of a FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth report by Casey Stegall.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott wants to bar Texas public school districts from employing H-1B visa holders, a change that would apply not only to future hires but to teachers who are already in the classroom. Hundreds of current educators could be forced out of Texas public schools if the proposal becomes law.

Abbott is asking the Texas Legislature to change the law when lawmakers return to Austin in January. The proposal expands on his earlier directive that froze new H-1B visa petitions across all state agencies and public universities. “Exactly zero Texas public school employees should be here on H-1B visas,” Abbott said, adding, “Foreign influence of any kind has no place in our classrooms. We need to find Texans or Americans who can educate our students, period.”

H-1B visas allow employers to temporarily hire foreign workers for specialized jobs that often require advanced training and education. In Texas public schools, federal data shows they have become a valuable tool for filling the most difficult teacher vacancies.

The impact would be felt most in Dallas. Dallas ISD employs 171 H-1B visa holders, more than any other district in the state. Statewide, more than 340 teachers across 50 districts work under the program. If the ban passes, Texas would become the first state to block school districts from hiring H-1B visa holders.

Education groups have pushed back, arguing that districts have relied on international recruiting for decades because some classroom jobs, often bilingual and specialized roles, are already hard to fill. “It’s hard enough for school districts to hire qualified teachers for every classroom, so this is just going to kneecap districts even further,” one critic said.

Dallas ISD declined an on-camera interview but told FOX 4 that it only hires teachers from abroad for critical shortages identified by the Texas Education Agency, adding: “If the governor’s new expectation is to eliminate these teachers, then we’re going to need more Texans in the teaching pipeline.” A ban would still require legislation to be introduced and passed during the upcoming session.