HOUSTON – Parents at Durham Elementary School are voicing frustration and confusion after several teachers were abruptly reassigned to “home duty” with no clear explanation from Houston ISD.
At least one teacher received a letter, obtained by KPRC 2, instructing them not to return to campus and to instead work from home during school hours checking in with the district by phone twice daily.
“Effective today, August 27, 2025, you are directed to report to home duty, with pay,” the letter reads. “You must contact [the district] each morning by 8:00 a.m. to report in and at 4:00 p.m. each afternoon to report out...You must be available to receive assignments by phone within the hour.”
The letter offered no reason for the reassignment.
Durham Elementary is one of 17 HISD campuses identified as a “Special Focus” school after its state accountability rating dropped from a B to a C. According to the district, these schools are not failing but require additional support to improve. As part of the new designation, the district is implementing aligned curriculum changes, adjusted master schedules, and what it says is more consistent instructional support.
But for some Durham parents, the rapid changes are raising more questions than answers.
“We’ve got a model that’s working for our kids, and it’s been turned upside down,” said parent Jake Brown. “The level of disruption that our kids have had to undergo in just the first few weeks of school is unacceptable.”
Several parents told KPRC 2 that they believe the teacher removals targeted educators who had been critical of the new curriculum or who had been active in the community.
“It’s been targeted against teachers that specifically advocate for the outcomes of our students that may not 100% align with the curriculum that the district is pushing,” said Brown.
“One of the teachers that was removed was our Teacher Leader Academy liaison,” he added. “Removed all of a sudden, no warning.”
A district spokesperson told KPRC 2’s Rilwan Balogun they cannot comment on individual reassignments due to ‘personnel matters.’ But they added when they reassign teachers, they aim to not disrupt student learning.
“When a teacher is reassigned for any reason, our focus is ensuring minimum disruption to student learning. We remain focused on providing students with consistent, high-quality instruction and maintaining a positive classroom environment each day,” the district statement said.
Parent Case Mundy described the reassignment strategy as a “loophole” to avoid firing staff outright.
“If you fire somebody, there’s a lot of red tape,” Mundy said. “But if you just send them home, it’s easier to do.”
Another parent, Mike Starghill, said the shift is already impacting classroom instruction.
“The next day after my daughter’s teacher was removed, the whole class was on iPads with the substitute teacher the entire time,” he said. “She wasn’t happy about that. That’s not how she thrives in the classroom.”
Starghill said the uncertainty has left both students and parents anxious.
“The district has just thrown our school into chaos,” he said. “We don’t have any understanding about what the next steps are... We don’t know. And that’s probably the most frustrating part.”
According to HISD’s Chief of Schools, Sandi Massey, the “Special Focus” program is designed to intervene early at campuses showing signs of decline before larger issues develop.
“We want to go in and help strengthen the programs that are existing on campus,” Massey told KPRC 2’s Re’Chelle Turner earlier this month. “That will hopefully increase and improve performance, but we will also likely change the curriculum.”
Massey emphasized the changes are meant to elevate instruction and ensure every student receives a high-quality education. She acknowledged the stress caused by the rollout and said improving communication with families is a top priority.
“If it’s done well, then students don’t really feel the change that much,” Massey said. “It’s mostly from the adult side that we start feeling the change.”
However, the Durham Elementary PTA issued a strongly worded letter accusing HISD of retaliation against teachers who voiced concerns during a recent board meeting. According to the PTA, teachers who attended the August 25 meeting were removed from classrooms the next day following a visit from Superintendent Mike Miles.
“These teachers both have a history of producing high test scores and have received high Instructional Responsiveness Tool (IRT) ratings,” the PTA wrote. “Rather than providing the support promised, the district removed two of the best teachers at Durham Elementary and replaced them with substitute teachers and iPads.”
“We cannot allow these fear tactics to dissuade us from advocating for what is best for our children and our school,” the letter states.
Despite the tension, some parents say they’re still willing to collaborate if the district is transparent.
“We’re not resistant to change,” said Brown. “But we want change to be cause-and-effect driven, and we want to understand how teachers are being evaluated if high-performing ones are suddenly being pulled. Right now, it feels arbitrary.”