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Parents and residents urge Cedar Hill ISD board to reconsider probationary teacher’s non‑renewal
Summary
Multiple parents and community members spoke during public comment defending teacher Shadi Hawkins, saying she is dedicated to students and urging trustees to review her full record before acting on a probationary contract non‑renewal. The district moved a termination recommendation; the transcript does not record a complete final tally.
Public commenters filled the dais during public comment to urge the Cedar Hill Independent School District Board of Trustees to reconsider the planned non‑renewal of a probationary contract for a classroom teacher identified in public remarks as Shadi Hawkins.
"Her goal is to do what's right at all the time," said one parent, who identified herself as Hawkins' mother and described Hawkins’ long record of service and care for students. Oscar Fuhrman, who identified himself as a parent of a student in Hawkins’ class, said he was "not a 100% on board with her getting terminated" and described communication problems with other staff but praised Hawkins’ outreach to families. Francesca Curry, a 21‑year U.S. Army veteran, called Hawkins a teacher of "very good character" who has gone "above and beyond" for students.
Speakers linked the personnel action to broader staffing concerns. "We have a teacher... that we're talking about end‑of‑year non‑renewal," said Matthew Hawkins, who identified himself as a taxpayer and former CHISD teacher. He urged trustees to prioritize students and cautioned that removing teachers can leave classes without consistent instructors.
A district representative later presented a formal recommendation that the board terminate the probationary contract at the end of the contract term. A trustee moved to approve the recommendation and a second was recorded; the transcript shows at least one trustee (Morgan) declining during the roll call but does not include a complete, explicit tally or a read‑out of the final outcome for that motion. The transcript records subsequent hiring and consent agenda votes (see "Votes and actions at a glance"), but does not state the final disposition of the Hawkins personnel motion in full detail.
The public commenters asked trustees to examine Hawkins’ personnel record and to consider alternatives to non‑renewal while the district balances certification requirements, teacher retention pressures and classroom continuity. The board did not announce any immediate change to the decision timeline on the public record in this meeting.
