More than 100 Houston ISD teachers from at least 35 campuses called in sick on April 4 in a coordinated effort to protest changes implemented by Superintendent Mike Miles, according to an April 4 news release issued by protest organizers.
The overview
Carly Padgett, a former HISD teacher, said she and other teachers from throughout the district organized the protest to “highlight the ongoing concerns about hostile learning and teaching environments created by HISD’s takeover superintendent, Mike Miles, and his reform policies,” according to the release.
While Padgett said the protest was in response to a wide range of policy changes implemented this year, she noted the teachers called in sick “despite being under threat of being punished for using their allotted sick leave.”
According to the district’s employee leave policy, employees are eligible for up to 15 days of state or local leave per calendar year.
How we got here
The Texas Education Agency ousted former HISD Superintendent Millard House II and an elected board of trustees in June, replacing them with a new board of managers and superintendent.
Miles, who formerly served as superintendent of Dallas ISD, was appointed by the TEA to help improve the district’s accountability ratings and board governance.
What’s next
On April 5, Houston ISD officials released the following statement:
"The district conducted a brief examination and identified no significant variation in teacher absences affecting instruction for April 4, 2024."
