Dr. Elizabeth Celania-Fagen has taken legal action against a Texas school district and the state's Commissioner of Education, seeking to overturn a decision that led to her termination. On April 17, 2025, Dr. Fagen filed an original petition in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, against Humble Independent School District and Mike Morath, the Commissioner of Education.
The case stems from Dr. Fagen's employment as Superintendent of Humble ISD from July 2016 until her proposed termination in July 2024. During her tenure, she received positive evaluations without any performance-related complaints until May 2022 when she disclosed a romantic relationship with Troy Kite, an Executive Director at Humble ISD. Subsequently, in May 2023, a Title IX complaint was filed against Mr. Kite by an Assistant Athletic Director. Despite no prior grievances against Dr. Fagen or Mr. Kite, this complaint led to significant scrutiny.
In July 2024, the Board of Trustees voted to propose terminating Dr. Fagen's contract. She requested a hearing before an independent examiner which took place over several days in late 2024. The examiner recommended termination based on alleged violations of board policy and purported good cause for contract termination.
Dr. Fagen argues that these conclusions were erroneous and unsupported by substantial evidence, citing procedural errors such as exclusion of relevant materials and reliance on hearsay during the hearing process. Her appeal to the Commissioner was denied in February 2025, prompting this lawsuit for judicial review under Texas Education Code §21.307(b)(2).
Dr. Fagen seeks reinstatement with full salary and benefits along with backpay for lost compensation due to what she contends was an unjust termination process lacking due process protections required by her contract and state law.
Representing Dr. Fagen is Edward Smith from O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo law firm based in Austin, Texas. The case is presided over by Judge Adiliani Solis under Case ID: 2025-27299.