Shayma Alzubi had been announced as the principal of Western Hills High School, but has since been reassigned following backlash over her social media posts.
Fort Worth school district
A federal First Amendment lawsuit filed by a former Fort Worth ISD principal against the school district was dismissed on Thursday after an ongoing battle over her reassignment, which stemmed from an investigation into her social media posts.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman issued an opinion and order marking the end of a lawsuit filed in June by Shayma Alzubi, who was reassigned as a principal program administrator after facing backlash from her social media posts explaining Sharia law and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. The reassignment came days after she was announced as principal of Western Hills High School in May. In the lawsuit, she alleged the district violated her free speech and discriminated against her because of her Muslim religion.
On Thursday, Pittman stated that personnel matters of public agencies, such as local school districts, do not rise to the level of federal judicial review.
“The facts alleged by Ms. Alzubi, while perhaps indicative of personal trials Alzubi has faced in her career as an educator, do not rise to the level of a constitutional deprivation. Federal courts are not the appropriate forum for school administration,” Pittman wrote.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, represented Alzubi in the case. Deputy Director of Litigation Gadeir Abbas said on Friday that the organization will continue to fight to have her be reinstated as a Fort Worth ISD principal.
“Shayma lost this case because the district cleared her of wrongdoing, gave her a promotion, and then raised her salary. And in many ways, that’s a win. It’s still Shayma’s goal to be a principal in Fort Worth, and CAIR will continue to fight with her to achieve that goal,” Abbas said.
Fort Worth ISD officials said on Friday that they do not comment on litigation matters.
During the case, Alzubi filed a motion for a preliminary injunction requesting she be reinstated as principal, but Pittman struck down her motion, saying she was not deprived of any employment benefits and her new, higher-paying job was “arguably less stressful.”
Fort Worth ISD was unable to substantiate in an internal investigation that Alzubi’s social media posts violated district policy or state law. In court documents, district officials argued her reassignment resulted from safety concerns after the school received threats of physical and sexual violence toward Alzubi and other staff members.
“Alzubi is not a scapegoat, nor has she lost her freedom of speech,” Pittman wrote in his previous denial to reinstate Alzubi. “Alzubi 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’s professional preferences.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2026 at 1:56 PM.
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Lina Ruiz covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.