§ 118.005.Remedies Not Exclusive

A saving clause, and the shortest section in the chapter.

The remedies authorized here are additional, not a substitute for anything else the law provides.

Federal claims are untouched. A student’s civil rights claims against a school district arise under federal law and follow their own rules.

Claims against the individual are untouched too. This chapter creates a claim against the school for its own conduct, and the employee answers for the underlying acts on ordinary principles.

The clause also keeps the damages cap in its place. Section 118.003 limits recovery in an action under this chapter, and does not reach a claim brought under other law.

Without this section the chapter could be read as an exclusive remedy — the reading Chapter 114 adopts on purpose for state contract claims, and the opposite of what this chapter intends.

The result is that the chapter adds a route against the school itself, with a stated standard, a stated cap, and fee shifting.

Education Code claims are unaffected. The remedies a student or parent has under the school laws remain available on their own terms.

The chapter is an addition to a crowded field. What it adds is a defined claim against the school itself, with a standard, a cap and fee shifting written into the statute.