Cedar Hill ISD Board votes to deny Level 3 employee grievance

The Board of Trustees of CEDAR HILL ISD voted unanimously in open session on Feb. 10, 2026, to deny a Level 3 grievance filed by an employee. Trustee Dr. Jacoeta Hagood moved to deny the grievance; the motion was seconded by Trustee Denisha Williams and approved by the full board.

The board had convened a closed-session hearing under the Texas Government Code before resuming public session. Chair announced that the Level 3 appeal was heard and then asked for formal action in open session. After calling for a vote, the chair stated, "The Board has voted to deny the grievance filed by Ms. Sears [transcript variants: 'Sears Coates' / 'Sears Cooks']," and said the appellant would receive written confirmation of the decision. The transcript records the motion language as a denial of the requested relief.

The motion was made on the record by Trustee Dr. Jacoeta Hagood and seconded by Trustee Denisha Williams; the chair recorded the outcome as unanimous. The board did not record a roll-call count in the public transcript beyond the chair's statement that all trustees were present earlier in the meeting. The board did not state any amendments to the motion or any conditions attached to the denial.

The board indicated that procedural consultation with the district attorney (Rhonda Grass was named as the board attorney in the record) had occurred in closed session pursuant to the statutory provisions cited before return to open session. The meeting minutes or written confirmation provided to the appellant should document any further procedural steps or appeal rights.