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School district faces employment disputes after a board meeting

On Behalf of | Jul 15, 2014 | Employment Disputes |

Inside some companies, there may be activities or information that is preferably not known to the general public or to certain places within the company. An employee may inadvertently discover this type of unethical information and choose to speak out. Sometimes, however, having this type of information is not looked upon favorably and may prompt a Texas employer to retaliate against the worker, leading to employment disputes.

An employee for the Beaumont Independent School District feels that he was retaliated against and that he was being forced from his job. The plaintiff works as a school business volunteer supervisor for the district and also as a press officer. During a recent school board meeting, the school superintendent suggested that three positions should be removed. One of those positions was occupied by the plaintiff and the other two were empty.

The plaintiff believes that the suggestion about eliminating the position was a conspiracy for him to lose his job. He believes that his position was targeted because he participated in an investigation surrounding the administration in late 2013. Because he served as a press officer, he stated that he was obligated by law to participate.

The man filed a complaint against the school’s superintendent as well as the school district. In his suit, he is accusing the district of retaliating against him because he declined engaging in an illegal act. The plaintiff is seeking monetary compensation for the legal fees incurred with his dispute as well as damages, temporary and permanent injunction and a temporary restraining order. Texas employees who feel that they are unjustly at risk for being fired because of employment disputes may file a complaint in an effort to retain their job and collect any related damages.

Source: The Southeast Texas Record, “Beaumont schools administrator named in retaliation suit by press officer“, Matt Russell, July 9, 2014

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