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First readWhat to know+
Topic: HISD staff misconduct and school transparencySource: Houston civic news investigationSchool Involved: Worthing High School, Houston ISDOutcome: Employee fired and placed on Texas 'Do Not Hire' listReading Time: About 2 minutes
Next rungHow to step in+
Good first step: Act HISD Board Meeting or your school principal
Say: 'I want to know how HISD tells families when a staff member is fired for student safety reasons. What is the district's communication policy?' Find board meetings at houstonisd.org
A Houston Landing investigation looked into how Houston ISD (Independent School District) handled a sexual misconduct case at Worthing High School. The district fired an employee after finding he sent an inappropriate video to a student and solicited sex. But HISD never told the wider school community what happened. This story raises important questions about how school districts balance victim privacy with the public's right to know.
A Worthing High School employee was fired after HISD substantiated that he sent an explicit video to a student and solicited sex. He is now on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Do Not Hire list, which bars him from working in Texas public schools. No criminal charges were filed. HISD and the Harris County District Attorney's Office each said the other was responsible for that outcome. Meanwhile, teachers, students, and parents at Worthing High were never officially told what happened. Texas law only requires districts to notify a victim's family — not the broader school community. HISD and several other large Texas districts have not adopted any wider communication policies for cases like this.
Use this story to become a more informed and active member of your school community. Ask your school's principal or district administrators about their policies for notifying families when employee misconduct is found. Attend HISD board meetings to raise questions about transparency and student safety policies. You can search the TEA Do Not Hire list yourself to check whether a school employee has been flagged by the state. If you ever have a concern about student safety at a campus, you can report it to the school principal, the HISD Title IX office, or HISD police.
No fixed date
Not location-specific
This story connects to broader conversations happening in Houston about school safety, district transparency, and how families are kept informed. It also touches on Texas state law around school employee conduct and the role of the TEA in tracking misconduct across districts. If you are involved in any Houston-area campus or parent group, this is a good case to bring up when discussing school safety policies.
Every Houston family deserves to know how HISD protects students and handles safety concerns. When schools stay silent after a misconduct finding, rumors fill the gap and trust breaks down. Other potential victims may not come forward if they don't see the district take action. Understanding how these cases are handled helps you ask better questions and hold your school district accountable.
