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El Paso ISD board moves to propose termination of El Paso High teacher after public comment
Summary
The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to propose termination/nonrenewal of Rebecca Bethany’s term employment contract after public comment from the teacher and her attorney, who described a history of domestic violence and ongoing legal proceedings they say are fabricated.
The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to propose the termination and/or nonrenewal of Rebecca Jean Bethany’s 2024–25 term employment contract and authorized the superintendent to give Bethany notice of the proposed action. The motion passed unanimously, 6–0.
The vote followed public comment from Bethany and her attorney, Soraya Henshaw, who urged the board to consider evidence they say shows Bethany has been a victim of domestic violence and that criminal charges filed against her by a former spouse were fabricated and are in the process of being dismissed. Henshaw told the board, “Miss Bethany is a teacher at El Paso High School,” and said the packet submitted to trustees includes “photographs and a police report regarding the violence against her children” and lengthy divorce filings beginning in 2013. Henshaw said, “She is in the process of getting this case dismissed.”
Bethany used her allotted public-comment time to describe herself as a longtime educator and to summarize her teaching and extracurricular work. “I’ve been a dedicated educator at El Paso High School committed to fostering student success and well-being,” Bethany said. She told trustees she teaches cybersecurity, computer science and engineering, founded and sponsored the school’s first robotics team, and helped lead teams to state competition.
The superintendent’s office presented the proposed termination to the board on the ground that charges against Bethany were felonious and therefore required district presentation to trustees, according to public remarks and the motion language passed by the board. The board’s motion authorized the superintendent to give Bethany formal notice of the proposed termination/nonrenewal; it did not itself effect a final termination. The record presented at the meeting includes materials Bethany’s counsel identified as exhibits (labeled exhibits 1–4 in the packet) that counsel asked trustees to review confidentially.
Trustees did not debate the public comment extensively in open session before calling the motion. The board previously met in closed session on related personnel and legal matters before returning to open session to take the vote.
Votes at a glance - Item 4 — Proposed termination/nonrenewal of Rebecca Jean Bethany’s 2024–25 term employment contract: motion by Trustee Iravali; second by Trustee Kahl; outcome: approved (motion passed unanimously 6–0). The board authorized the superintendent to give notice of the proposed termination/nonrenewal.
Why it matters: The board’s action moves the personnel matter to the next formal stage by authorizing notice under the district’s procedures; Bethany and her attorney told trustees they are contesting criminal allegations and provided documentary materials they asked the board to consider. The outcome does not, by itself, implement a final termination — that would require subsequent steps under district policy and applicable law.
Ending: The board took this action as part of a consent and action agenda that included several other routine items and approvals. Several items were handled with motions recorded as unanimous votes after a closed-session period; the board also handled a Level 3 parent complaint and several administrative approvals (see Votes at a glance).
