The Brief

Former Western Hills High School Principal Shayma Alzubi is suing Fort Worth ISD to regain her job after her promotion was rescinded over personal social media posts.

Alzubi alleges the district violated her free speech rights and acted out of discrimination against her Muslim faith and Palestinian origin rather than strictly over the social media content.

Fort Worth ISD has until tomorrow to formally respond to Alzubi’s request for a temporary injunction, which will leave the decision of her immediate reinstatement up to a judge.

FORT WORTH, Texas – There are new developments in the legal battle involving the now-reassigned Western Hills High School principal who is suing the Fort Worth Independent School District.

Fort Worth ISD Muslim Principal Removed

The backstory

Shayma 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 But weeks later, that promotion was rescinded.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.

What they’re saying

In late May, faith leaders, educators, and community advocates shared frustrations over what they described as the school district bowing to internet uproar from conservative extremists.

“What happened here sends a dangerous message,” said Fadya Salem.

“I’m seeing the titles being about this principal, you know, being charged because of her posts. And I think the real title needs to be that the board of managers is allowing right-wing influencers to be their HR,” added EJ Carrion with the 817 Podcast.

Shayma Alzubi Sues Fort Worth ISD

What’s new

Alzubi is now suing Fort Worth ISD. She’s asking to be reinstated as the Western Hills principal while the case outcome is pending.

Alzubi’s lawsuit alleges her 1st and 14th Amendment rights to free speech and equal protection were violated.

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 other side

FOX 4 reached out to Fort Worth ISD for a response to the lawsuit, but the district declined to comment and said it considers personnel matters to be confidential.

“Ms. Alzubi has been promoted to the position of Principal Program Administrator, a districtwide leadership position focused on supporting campuses in key areas of academic acceleration,” the Fort Worth ISD’s communications office said in a statement.

However, the court filings Alzubi’s legal team filed make it clear she believes this was a job that was made up and that she has not accepted it.

What’s next

Fort Worth ISD has until tomorrow to file its response to Alzubi’s request for a temporary injunction. The judge in the case will decide whether to grant it.

The Source

FOX 4’s Dionne Anglin gathered the information for this story from the court filings, Shayma Alzubi’s legal team, and statements from Fort Worth ISD.