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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fort Worth ISD principal sues to get her job back
A longtime Fort Worth ISD educator who says she was the victim of right-wing extremists is now fighting her case in federal court. She says she was promoted to principal and then abruptly reassigned based on the internet's reaction to her Muslim faith.
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Fort Worth Independent School District will not be forced to reinstate a Muslim principal who was reassigned just after she was promoted in May.
Fort Worth ISD Muslim Principal Removed
What's new:
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman made the decision on Wednesday, saying that the reassignment of Shayma Alzubi did not harm her employment.
Instead, he said she was offered a higher-paying and arguably less stressful position.
The judge also said that online threats Fort Worth ISD received following Alzubi’s initial promotion prevented the district from being able to conduct its duties, and that she had not lost her freedom of speech.
The backstory:
Alzubi is a longtime educator who is Palestinian and of Muslim faith.
In May, she was promoted to the role of principal at Western Hills High School. But weeks later, that promotion was rescinded.
The district said the action was due to a pending investigation into Alzubi’s past social media posts on her personal Facebook account. Some of those posts mentioned or highlighted the Black Lives Matter movement, support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and support for wearing masks during the pandemic.
Fort Worth ISD’s new Muslim principal reassigned over past social media posts
Fort Worth ISD has reassigned Western Hills High School’s new principal, Shayma Alzubi, because of past social media posts that the district claims violate staff policy. Critics argue she’s the victim of religious discrimination.
Fort Worth ISD ended up offering her a new position as the Principal Program Administrator, a districtwide leadership position focused on supporting campuses in key areas of academic acceleration.
Alzubi sued Fort Worth ISD asking to be reinstated while the case outcome was pending. She alleged her 1st and 14th Amendment rights to free speech and equal protection were violated.
Fort Worth ISD Muslim principal sues after district removes her over past social media posts
Reassigned Western Hills High School Principal Shayma Alzubi is suing Fort Worth ISD, alleging her free speech rights were violated and the district's decision to rescind her promotion was motivated by her Muslim identity and national origin.
The suit also states the district’s move to reassign her was "motivated, at least in part, by her Muslim identity and national origin rather than solely by concerns about the content of her social media posts."
The Source: The information in this story comes from court records and past news coverage.