Ex-Houston ISD Teacher’s Termination Appeal Came 22 Years Too Late
Ruling: A teacher waited too long to challenge an ISD’s termination of her probationary contract 22 years ago.
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- Johnita Duhon v. Houston ISD, No. 052-R2-04-2024 ($), May 23 (Commissioner Morath).
Duhon claimed that in “approximately June of 2002” she resigned from HISD for personal reasons — and that she only recently learned that the HISD board had terminated her probationary contract.
She asked the education commissioner, in an appeal she filed in April 2024, to “review” the HISD decision to terminate her contract so that she could qualify for re-employment with the district.
The commissioner dismissed Duhon’s appeal by agreeing with HISD that:
- With very limited exceptions (involving procedural missteps by an ISD), state law prohibits end-of-contract probationary terminations from being appealed to the education commissioner.
- Duhon might have been able to appeal — to the commissioner — the termination of her probationary contract if she had first timely initiated (and completed) the HISD grievance process regarding her complaint that she did not receive proper notice of her termination. But the deadline for her to have pursued a grievance with HISD has long since expired.
