Grand Prairie ISD temporarily blocked from firing Superintendent Jorge Arredondo
Grand Prairie ISD Superintendent Jorge Arredondo still has his job after a Dallas County judge ruled Tuesday the district cannot fire him, at least for now.
The ruling came after Arredondo's attorney said they filed a lawsuit against the district, claiming the board broke his contract by not giving him any advance notice or explanation for putting him on leave in September.
Before the judge issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday that blocked his firing, the board had an item on the agenda of its Thursday meeting to discuss terminating Arredondo's employment.
Last month, the school board voted to put Arredondo on paid leave pending an investigation, saying he violated the district's policy around discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against district employees. The district has not provided any specifics about the allegations. Arredondo had only been in his new job for three months.
"That's the whole point of the lawsuit, is to enforce those rights so that he has fairness in the process, transparency in the process," said Mary Nix, Arrendondo's attorney. "That's why we filed it, that's why we feel good about the restraining order being issued and we're hopeful this will give him the opportunity to defend himself, but for the district and the board to hit pause and really think about what is going on."
Arredondo is also claiming the board violated his constitutional rights by discriminatory and defamatory statements against him, implying that he was favoring Hispanic students and staff, which he says is not true.
In a statement to CBS News Texas, Grand Prairie ISD said, "The district is aware of reports regarding a lawsuit that may have been filed. At this time, the district has not been served any legal documents related to the matter. As a public entity, we respect the legal process and will review any formal filings once they are received. As always, the district is committed to acting in the best interests of our students, staff, and community, and we will respond to any legal matters appropriately through the court system. Given that this involves potential litigation, we are unable to comment further at this time."
A hearing for Arredondo's lawsuit against the school district is scheduled for Oct. 28 at 10:30 a.m.