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Commissioner's Decision
Ex-Assistant Principal Loses Two Decisions
Over Nonrenewal and Assault Leave Grievances
Ruling: Appeals by a former assistant principal over his contract nonrenewal due to what he said were false unreasonable use-of-force claims — and his claim he was improperly denied assault leave — are dismissed. Thomas D. Bouknight v. Spring ISD, Nos. 001-R2-09-2019 (Nov. 4, 2019) and 003-R10-09-2019 (Jan. 27, 2020). Signed by Signed Jan. 27 by Education Commissioner Mike Morath.
(available here)
The record reflects that former SISD assistant principal Bouknight made numerous claims in a single appeal to the commissioner, all stemming from the district’s nonrenewal of his term contract as of the end of the 2018-19 school year. Bouknight claimed that he had been falsely accused of using too much force and of misrepresenting to his supervisor what had happened — and that he had been improperly denied assault leave.
The commissioner stripped out Bouknight’s claims over which the commissioner has no jurisdiction (such as Bouknight’s claim of age discrimination) and divided the remaining claims into two decisions.
In dismissing Bouknight’s claims, the commissioner concluded that Bouknight made procedural errors that precluded the commissioner from considering his claims, including by not fully completing, through the school board level, his grievances alleging denial of assault leave and by not filing a mandatory brief with his appeal.