HISD Termination Policy- Know More

This essay covers the HISD termination policy 1000, which details the rules and procedures for firing certain school employees. This policy is the main document that explains when, why and how the Houston ISD will fire an employee. Unfortunately, HISD is one of just a handful of school districts that do not have an open-door policy regarding termination. This can make it difficult for parents to know if a teacher is being fired, or if they just need to look out for other red flags. During the 2015-16 school year, HISD fired 13 teachers. That number does not include the number of employees who were “separated for cause.” The district would not provide a list of those employees. During the 2014-15 school year, HISD fired 25 teachers. During the 2013-14 school year, HISD fired 25 teachers. During the 2012-13 school year, HISD fired 24 teachers. During the 2011-12 school year, HISD fired 20 teachers. During the 2010-11 school year, HISD fired 13 teachers. During the 2009-10 school year, HISD fired 13 teachers. During the 2008-09 school year, HISD fired 25 teachers. Let us know more about the HISD Termination Policy- Know More.

HISD Termination Policy- Know More

HISD Termination Policy

HISD provides a number of reasons for firing a teacher, but they do not openly discuss if they fired an employee for cause, or if they were just trying to move a teacher to another position. The district will not disclose why any individual teacher was fired. This lack of transparency makes the job of a parent trying to find out if a teacher was fired more difficult, as they cannot know why they were fired, and they cannot find out if it was due to a policy violation or if they just needed to improve as a teacher.

Types of termination policies at Houston ISD

There are three types of HISD termination policies: performance-based, policy violation, and cause. Each of these types has different rules and procedures for when an employee may be terminated, and what the process looks like for an appeal. 

Performance-based termination

For this type of termination, the district will give an employee a specific performance goal. If the employee does not reach that goal, the district can fire the employee. For example, a teacher may be given a goal of reducing their student-to-student ratio from 18:1 to 15:1 by the end of the year. If the teacher misses this goal, they can be fired. Performance-based terminations are frequently used for teachers who are new to a school or program. If a teacher has been at a school for a while, and has little room for improvement, the district can still fire them if they do not reach the performance goal. 

Policy violation termination

This type of termination is somewhat rare, but it is the only type of termination that a school can fire an employee for being gay, lesbian or transgender. For this reason, it is important for any parent who believes they have a LGBT child at the school to talk to the principal as soon as possible. The principal may be able to help jump start the process if the student is hesitant to come forward. One thing to remember is that not every policy violation is related to being LGBT. For example, a student may be late for class, or a teacher may have given them a bad grade. The school will not have a reason to fire the student for this. However, the teacher may have given the student a bad mark for not knowing their subject, and the student may have a legitimate reason to appeal the grade. Cause termination: This is the most common type of termination. For cause, the district does not need to provide a reason. The only exception to this is if the employee has a pattern of policy violations. If the employee is not showing improvement and missing policy violations, the district can fire the employee. If a school wants to fire an employee for cause, they do not need to provide a reason.

Policy or procedure violation

This type of termination is used when a teacher has done something wrong, but they did not break a specific policy or a procedure. For example, a teacher may have been late to work one day. They were not late due to being sick or having an emergency, but they were late. The school may fire this teacher for cause. The other type of policy violation that can get a teacher fired is calling in sick when they are not sick. This is not a policy violation in and of itself, but the district can fire an employee for calling in sick when they are not sick, and then not showing up for work the next day.

Termination for a cause

This is the rarest type of termination and will only happen in the most extreme of circumstances. For example, a school district may have a series of bad years. In those years, the district may have a lot of teachers who are not a good fit for the classroom, or who just do not have the skills to teach. If the principal happens to notice this happening, they can use the “termination for cause” rule. The principal can go to the director of human resources and say that they are firing a certain teacher for certain reasons. However, the principal does not need to give details, as the principal is just using the “termination for cause” rule.

Conclusion

The HISD termination policy 1000 is lengthy, and can seem confusing. However, as we have seen, it is also one of the most important documents in the Houston ISD. It is here that you will learn the rules and procedures for firing an HISD employee, and what you need to do to get fired yourself. If you want to know more, feel free to check out our Termination section. If you are curious to see how the HISD termination policy compares to other school districts, you can check out this comparison of termination policies across the country.

HISD Termination Policy- Know More

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