Zbranek files suit against Devers ISD officials

LIBERTY — Last summer, a longtime educator was at the center of a controversy after Devers Independent School District refused to renew her contract, leading to a public hearing that shed a negative light on the highly touted district. Now, a suit has been filed against school officials ...

The suit filed by Sandi Zbranek, who at the time served as the language arts teacher at Devers ISD, alleges that the defendants, superintendent Elizabeth “Liz” Harris and school board president Tommy McIntosh, “intentionally set out to harm Plaintiff’s reputation, her emotional well being and to cause her to lose her contract with Devers ISD.”

A lengthy public hearing held at Zbranek’s request last June saw testimony from Zbranek, Harris, and several individuals speaking on behalf of the longtime teacher who worked in Devers for two decades, focusing on renewing her contract.

During those proceedings, Harris alleged an anonymous letter somehow made its way into the school into the room where the school board meets. It is purported that the letter sat there undiscovered for some time.

At the time, attorney Stephanie Hamm, a partner with Houston- based Thompson & Horton LLP, made a case for not renewing Zbranek’s contract.

“We are here today because Mrs. Zbranek has not lived up to the district’s expectations,” Hamm said at the time.

During that hearing, the anonymous complaint and other complaints of undisclosed individuals were aimed at Zbranek.

Harris said some issues were brought to light that suggested a teacher had bullied students, had spoken about confident i a l grades and Accelerated Reading points in class, and had referenced a student as a “crack baby.”

Harris said Zbranek became the probe’s focus, adding that some parents came forward with concerns but were unwilling to speak publicly.

Zbranek’s husband, Zack Zbranek, serves as counsel for his wife and, at the time, argued the district based its actions on an unidentified accuser’s statement in a letter.

He added a subsequent investigation never allowed his wife to face her detractors, as students’ names were redacted and parents refused to come forward publicly.

The suit alleges that during an investigation into complaints, Harris approached students, teachers and parents she knew would have a less favorable opinion of Zbranek.

During the June hearing, Harris acknowledged investigating the allegations and selecting random students from Devers Junior High School she felt may have a grasp of the situation.

The suit also references allegations made in the hearing against Harris that inferred she had asked a parent to write a statement against Zbranek.

“One parent was approached two times to write out a false statement against Plaintiff, and Defendant Harris even promised she could get people to ‘corroborate’ the false statement. The parent refused and communicated this highly unethical conduct to Plaintiff,” the petition reads.

That parent was identified as Rachel O’Dell during the public hearing. At that time, she had many good things to say about the district but acknowledged that she was asked to write a letter and that someone had written an anonymous one.

O’Dell, who serves as a trustee for the Liberty Independent School District, told school trustees she would want to know who wrote a letter making allegations if she was dealing with a similar issue in Liberty ISD.

Harris denied ever trying to coerce anyone into writing a letter.

The suit argues that the defendants never questioned the letter’s validity nor took steps to identify how it made it onto the campus.

“You would think, the Defendants would have been worried about the breach in security and the safety of the students,” the petition reads.

Ultimately, a split school board voted 4-3 not to renew Zbranek’s contract.

The suit asks for damages for pain and suffering and any other relief to which the plaintiff is entitled.

This is a developing story, and The Vindicator will have more as details become available.