Former principal sues Miles and HISD

Interesting.

A former Houston ISD principal has filed a $3 million lawsuit alleging defamation, emotional distress, and intolerable work conditions, among other claims, against the district, state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles, the appointed Board of Managers and a Houston-based law firm representing the district.

Jessica Berry, the former principal at Herod Elementary School, filed the complaint in March for the district’s alleged violation of employment law and requested $3 million in damages. The lawsuit also asks for sanctions against the district, board and superintendent, as well as the termination of Miles and the termination of the board.

Berry alleged eight counts: intentional infliction of emotional distress; defamation; falsification of books and records; that the district’s actions created intolerable working conditions violated state labor laws; Family Medical Leave Act violations; Texas Labor Code violations; and Texas Whistleblower Act and Department of Education Whistleblower Protections violations.

The filing references Berry becoming aware that Miles put half of the district’s principal on notice for low performance after the Houston Chronicle published an article about the list in spring 2024. (Community pressure ultimately led the superintendent to backtrack.) Her school’s executive director, ranking above her, told her on April 23 of that year that the district was not in compliance with operating procedures required by the Texas Education Agency, according to this complaint filed by the 11-year educator.

The filing also covers memos Berry received on April 23 and 24 from the district alleging six violations of Employee Standards of Conduct occurring from March 22 through April 24. This appears to reference notice she received for expressing concern to supervisors about printing special education documents with confidential information.

Her filing indicates the district told Berry to resign or be terminated by the board on May 8 and offered her three months of salary despite her contract already outlining that she could be terminated without cause upon the payment of her unpaid base salary for the remainder of her contract term, with a minimum of three-months base salary. Berry did not sign the May document.

On June 6, she sent a certified letter to Miles and the district’s general counsel, Catosha Woods, asking the district to remedy violations of the Family Medical Leave Act, the Texas Labor Act and the Texas Whistleblower Act before she signs any agreement. That same day, Berry filed a Whistleblower Complaint with the Texas Education Agency. In August, the agency found that her whistleblower allegations submitted in June had merit, according to the complaint.

That sure is a big swing. I am by nature skeptical of large actions like this, especially when they seem to come out of nowhere, but I don’t know enough to judge it beyond that. We’ll see how far this gets.

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