A federal judge decided that Fort Worth ISD will not be forced to reinstate educator Shayma Alzubi as principal of Western Hills High School.
Judge Mark Pittman of the Northern District of Texas issued his decision Tuesday after he found the reassignment 鈥� and later promotion 鈥� did not harm Alzubi鈥檚 employment. The district over her social media posts.
鈥淎lzubi is not a scapegoat, nor has she lost her freedom of speech,鈥� Pittman wrote in his opinion. 鈥淎lzubi made posts on her personal social media account, which received a negative public response upon the public announcement of her new role. The backlash not only puts Alzubi in danger, but also her coworkers and students.鈥�
Jason Smith, Alzubi鈥檚 attorney, and Fort Worth ISD spokesperson Jessica Becerra did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
Alzubi alleged that FWISD violated her First Amendment guarantee of free speech and 14th Amendment equal protection rights by reassigning her after she made social media posts about Palestinians, Black Lives Matter, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, Islam and the district鈥檚 COVID-19 mask policy that received online backlash.
The temporary reassignment was necessary for the safety of Alzubi and Western Hills staff after she received threatening messages, the district鈥檚 attorneys wrote.
FWISD offered 鈥� nearly $10,000 more than the principal salary, according to court documents.
Pittman agreed that the threats prevented FWISD from being able to conduct its duties.
鈥淎lzubi is within her right to post whatever she wants, but the district is also well within its right to put the overall safety of its community over a single individual鈥檚 professional preferences,鈥� Pittman wrote.
The judge also questioned whether the lawsuit was a good use of either the district鈥檚 or Alzubi鈥檚 resources.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or .
Disclosure: FWISD manager Pete Geren leads the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. FWISD manager Laurie George is a member of the Report鈥檚 reader advisory council. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .
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