Teacher’s Son was not Retaliated Against
Dismissed: A complaint by a teacher that her son was discriminated against, harassed and retaliated against by the administration at her son’s school. Parent A/N/F Student v. Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, No. 005-R10-10-2019. Signed April 24 by Education Commissioner Mike Morath.
The parent — a teacher at HEBISD — claimed that her son was discriminated and retaliated against and harassed by the administration at her son’s school because of a previous grievance she had filed and because her son is bi-racial and gay.
The parent cited her son’s discipline record — 15 referrals for class disruptions, disrespect to teachers, inappropriate comments in class, violation of the school’s cell phone policy, failure to follow directions, multiple tardies and disrupting the test environment during end-of-course exams.
She also claimed that she was not allowed to be a partner in her child’s education, as required by the Texas Education Code.
Concluded
The commissioner, in looking at the record, concluded that:
- The parent failed to provide evidence that her son had been treated differently than other students with similar disciplinary records.
- The discipline administered to her son was consistent with campus and district policies.
- Positive outcomes were achieved as a result of some of the mother’s complaints.
For example, five unexcused absences were removed from her son’s attendance records after the mother explained that she didn’t believe in Western medicine, doctors or vaccinations, and was thus unable to produce a doctor’s note for the absences.
The commissioner ultimately dismissed the mother’s complaint on findings that she failed to allege facts to support her claims of violations of state education law for which the commissioner has jurisdiction.