Texas parents win lawsuit against school district taken over by state

(The Center Square) – In what is considered a landmark win for parental rights and free speech, a federal jury found that officials from Marlin Independent School District, outside of Waco, unlawfully retaliated against parents who publicly complained about the district and violated their constitutional rights.

Five plaintiffs were awarded more than $7.5 million in damages, including $4 million in punitive damages against Marlin ISD’s former superintendent Dr. Darryl Henson and Marlin ISD’s Chief of Police John Simmons.

The unanimous verdict came after the district was taken over by the state in 2017. Henson was hired during the state take over. In 2022, the district improved its accountability rating for the first time in 10 years with 28% of student being at grade level. By 2024 grades had improved and a Read Entire Article