Houston Education Association President Michelle Williams reappointed

Houston Education Association President Michelle Williams, who heads the smaller of Houston's two teachers unions, was removed from her teaching position at a Houston ISD elementary school Wednesday while the district moved to fire her over her social media activity. , was assigned to work at the bus stop. .

In a memorandum seen by the Houston Chronicle, Western District Superintendent Laura Stout said Williams, who worked as a third-grade teacher at Shadowbriar Elementary School, was suspended at the Northwest Motor Pool for alleged “inappropriate conduct.” informed that he would be reassigned. Stout's second memo says the district is moving to terminate Williams' contract for violating board policy, which is that Williams continued to post on social media during the week.

“Due to your failure to meet the district's expectations and remain focused on quality instruction, the district is proceeding with a proposed termination of your contract,” Stout wrote.

In his memo, Stout took issue with a livestream video that Williams posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday, and that Williams posted the video in a Shadowbriar classroom. He accused her of recording it. The memo also points to the video being posted to unspecified social media over a four-day period in February as evidence that it is part of a “pattern of behavior” of posting online during work hours.

Williams denied filming the video at Shadowbriar, saying he recorded it at his home in the morning before school in front of a set for his YouTube channel that was decorated to look like an elementary school classroom. The photos shared with the Chronicle appear to show the same backdrop as the livestream, which took place in a room at home, along with an elaborate audio-visual setup. Receipts from the Harris County Tollway Authority also appear to show Williams commuted to work at 6:47 a.m. and 7:02 a.m. Wednesday.

A review of Mr. Williams and the union's X account reveals that posts were occasionally made during class. Williams said her union officials schedule her posts on her behalf, including those that appear on her personal account.

Williams declined further comment. Houston ISD officials said the district does not comment on personnel matters, but that “it is Houston Independent School District's (HISD) expectation that its employees abide by the policies of the HISD Board of Directors and standards of employee conduct.”

The 12-year HISD veteran took over in 2021 as president of the Houston Education Association, which represents about 200 teachers in the district. HEA is a branch of the Texas Teachers Association and the National Education Association, and is the smaller of the two education associations in Houston. Teachers Unions — The Houston Federation of Teachers, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and Texas AFT, represents more than 6,000 educators.

TSTA officials declined to comment. The NEA did not immediately respond to requests from reporters.

Williams has become one of the most vocal opponents of Superintendent Mike Miles, who was appointed to lead HISD by the Texas Education Agency in June, and his administration, appearing on social media and at monthly trustee meetings. regularly criticizes district leaders.

The four-minute video that led to Williams' reassignment on Wednesday focused on the district's recently released teacher compensation manual for next year, which Williams called “a slap in the face to all HISD teachers.” .