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Houston ISD takeover: Federal complaint filed against TEA
**EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is from a previous report in mid-March** Local leaders have been threatening legal action to prevent Houston ISD takeover and a federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of HISD from the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice. The organization is suing the Texas Education Agency and others citing the TEA'S alleged history of discrimination.
HOUSTON - As outrage over the imminent state takeover of the largest district in Texas, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), along with several other partnering activists are working to have the federal government do its part.
PREVIOUS: TEA meetings end with Houston community members in uproar
In a press release, the ACLU, in conjunction with the Houston NAACP, LULAC #19, and the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice Friday about the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and its plan to remove locally elected officials during its takeover of Houston ISD.
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First TEA meeting regarding board of managers for Houston ISD takeover gets very heated
FOX 26 Reporter Sherman Desselle was there as the meeting, which turned upside down, was marred by shouting, anger, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee briefly hijacked the meeting on Tuesday night.
The release alleges that in early March that TEA "Commissioner Mike Morath announced the agency’s plans to take over the school district citing the poor performance of some schools, despite the fact that his own agency gave the district a "B" rating in 2022."
SUGGESTED: TEA meetings end with Houston community members in uproar
As part of the takeover, critics say the TEA plans to replace the district's locally elected school board trustees with commissioner-appointed board managers, who will "will not have any electoral accountability to Houston voters."
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This comes after the fourth community meeting ended on Thursday, like every previous meeting: with uproar and frustrations. Following the disgruntled meeting, a protest was held Friday morning.
MORE: Rally held at Cesar Chavez High School in opposition of TEA's action
See the complaint filed to the U.S. DOJ below: