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Fort Worth Reassigns Newly Named Principal After Viral Posts Prompt Investigation

The move could indicate tension between district rules on political neutrality and a coordinated online campaign that pushed officials to act.

Overview

  • Fort Worth ISD said it reassigned Shayma Alzubi pending an internal investigation after being alerted to her past social media posts, a decision the district confirmed was made after review on Tuesday, May 26.
  • Screenshots circulated online show posts by Alzubi that defended Sharia law and expressed support for Black Lives Matter, mask mandates, DACA and pro-Palestine views, which the district said may violate its social-media policy and state rules on political neutrality.
  • Conservative accounts including Libs of TikTok and activist Carlos Turcios amplified the screenshots and urged public pressure, and a State Board of Education member publicly called for an ethics probe into Alzubi.
  • Civil-rights groups, interfaith leaders and Alzubi’s supporters held protests and a news conference calling the reassignment an anti-Muslim targeting, and Alzubi says she has received death threats that have left her feeling unsafe at home.
  • The case is unfolding while Fort Worth ISD is run by a state-appointed board of managers, it remains unclear whether the board or district administrators ordered the reassignment, and the episode highlights rising political scrutiny of Muslim educators in Texas.