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Jones v. Collin College

From January 2021 to November 2022
Collin College (Public college or university)
McKinney, TX

Identity of Speakers

  • Suzanne Jones
    Faculty/Staff
    Other

    Professor of Education

Additional Information

  • Incident Nature:
    Lawsuit
  • Incident Political Orientation:
    Not Clear
  • Incident Responses:
    Litigation
  • Incident Status:
    Settled
  • Did not involve Speech Codes

Summary

In January of 2021, Collin College Professor of Education Suzanne Jones was fired from her job due to her public criticism of the school’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, her work in starting a local campus chapter of the Texas Faculty Association, a statewide higher education faculty union, and for her support for the removal of Confederate monuments in nearby Dallas, TX.  Jones sued the College, and the administrators responsible for her termination, in September of 2021.  In August of 2022, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas denied the College’s motion for summary judgment, ruling that College administrators could be held personally and financially responsible for their actions.  In denying motions for summary judgment, the Court said that the administrator’s actions were “clearly unconstitutional.”

In November of 2022, Jones and the administrators agreed to a settlement that included reinstating Jones for a two-year, $230,000 teaching contract.  Additionally, administrators agreed to pay Jones’ attorney fees.