Texas Public School Employee Terminated After Allegation Without Investigation. Won Unemployment. Conflicting Statements About Who Conducted Investigation.

Location: Texas

A family member worked as a custodian for a public school district in Texas. While performing assigned cleaning duties in a girls’ locker room, a student entered and later accused him of inappropriate conduct.

The school interviewed the student but never interviewed him, and there was no video or other corroborating evidence. He was terminated shortly afterward.

The termination documentation referenced alleged conduct but did not state that misconduct was substantiated, and he was not given an opportunity to respond before the termination decision.

He later won his unemployment claim, with the decision indicating the district did not establish misconduct connected with the work.

There is also an audio recording of a conversation with the superintendent where the superintendent contradicts some of the district’s statements.

During that conversation, the superintendent said he did not know the specifics of why my family member was fired because the School Resource Officer (SRO) conducted the investigation, but also stated that he, as superintendent, made the decision to terminate him.

When the SRO was later asked about the situation, he stated that he had nothing to do with the case and did not know why the employee was fired.

He does not want the job back, but the allegation has significantly harmed his reputation and ability to find work.

In Texas, does a public employee have any legal avenue to clear their name or challenge the process when an allegation like this leads to termination without a clear investigation or opportunity to respond?