HISD board votes against terminating Yates High School principal

By Erica Simon and Daniela Hurtado

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    HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Tiffany Guillory will remain the principal of Jack Yates High School after the HISD board voted against her termination Thursday night.

In December, Guillory was “relieved of her duties” for reasons most still don’t know.

ABC13 was at HISD headquarters when community members expressed their concerns to the board. Bottom line: they didn’t want Guillory terminated.

The vote was 6-3 against ousting Guillory.

Being founded by a formerly enslaved man, and producing top scholars, athletes, and successful alum over the years, Yates has created a special sense of pride in Third Ward.

Pride is something senior Montrell Jefferson said is being messed with by the removal of his principal.

“She was a big part of us. She was Yates. As far as the students, she was all we knew,” he said.

There’s speculation Guillory’s removal could have to do with the school’s college and career readiness numbers being low, but we, like many others, haven’t gotten much clarity on that.

“I think there’s a lot of questions that still need to be answered, and I think we should take time to do a good investigation to find out what the problem is, where the problem is, and address those problems … because the problem didn’t just start with this principal,” Nedzra Ward, Board Chair for Shape Community Center, said.

Eyewitness News tried getting in contact with Guillory through her attorney, but so far, we have not heard back. Jefferson said a number of students are upset that their leader — the woman they respect and look up to — may not be there when they finish their high school journey.

They plan to keep making their voices heard. So do Ward and others who call Yates their beloved alma mater.

“We will continue to fight that it remains a sovereign school in this community,” she said.

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