Board approves TEA notification requests for two teachers alleging contract abandonment

Following a closed-session discussion under personnel provisions of the Texas Government Code, the CARROLLTON-FARMERS BRANCH ISD board voted on March 5 to authorize written complaints to the Texas Education Agency State Board for Educator Certification seeking sanctions for two teachers: Leah Simmons and Lisa Cerna.

Administration recommended the board find that no good cause existed for the teachers’ alleged abandonment of their two-year term contracts and that the personnel actions met the criteria for notification under Texas Education Code section 21.210 and related Texas Administrative Code provisions cited in the recommendation.

Trustee Kim Brady moved the motion regarding Leah Simmons; trustees voted 7–0 to authorize the board president to submit the formal complaint package to TEA. The board then took a separate, similar unanimous vote to notify TEA concerning Lisa Cerna for allegations the district described as resignation/abandonment of contract occurring after the 45‑day penalty‑free resignation deadline and less than 30 days before the first day of instruction for 2025–26.

The board’s action is the authorization to submit complaints to TEA; it did not disclose investigation findings or discuss confidential personnel details in open session beyond the statutory recommendation language.