Editor's note: a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that as of May 20, Houston ISD officials had not announced the rescheduled date for a budget workshop and specially called meeting that were postponed due to weather on May 16. The workshop and specially called session will be held at 4 p.m. May 23.

A protest scheduled to take place May 20 outside Houston ISD’s Herod Elementary School has been rescheduled to 7:15 a.m. May 22 due to continued power outages at the campus.

The overview

The planned protest will follow several protests held last week in response to a slew of recent firings throughout the district that included Herod Elementary Principal Jessica Berry and 11 teachers at the campus, organizers announced in a May 19 news release. Herod covers parts of the Meyerland and Braeburn areas.

According to the news release, the protest will aim to highlight the following three concerns:

• A lack of transparency and fairness regarding the terminations
• The potential loss of additional staff due to fallout from the terminations
• The Texas Education Agency takeover negatively affecting underserved communities

In a May 15 emailed response to a Community Impact inquiry, HISD officials did not confirm the number or identity of employees who received letters, but they noted employees whose jobs are eliminated will have the opportunity to pursue other roles in the district.

A closer look

Jane Lesnick, one of several parents who helped organize the protest, said community members will be making several demands at the protest, including more transparency between the district and community members regarding the firings.

“The terminations occurred without clear communication of a justification or opportunity to improve,” Lesnick said in the news release. “We demand that terminations be halted and employees be given fair performance evaluations conducted by experienced education professionals.”

Lesnick said she believed the lack of transparency could lead to between 50%-75% of staff members not returning to the campus next year.

Additionally, Lesnick said protesters will be calling for the end of the TEA takeover, which was implemented in June.

“Our students, particularly students in under-resourced communities, need healthy school environments,” Lesnick said in the release. “We demand once and for all an end to the takeover of HISD.”

What’s next

HISD board managers were set to consider taking action on the employment status of a number of principals and teachers who had received letters asking them to either resign or risk facing termination at a May 16 specially called meeting.

However, board managers were forced to postpone the meeting after damaging winds caused power outages at the district’s administrative building and left debris scattered across the parking lot.

The rescheduled workshop and specially called session will be held at 4 p.m. May 23.

Lesnick said additional information on the May 22 protest as well as a link to a petition in support of Herod Elementary staff can be found here.