Coerced resignation?

A teacher filed a grievance, alleging that his resignation was coerced because his principal told him that he would recommend the nonrenewal of his contract if he did not resign. The teacher alleged that the principal knew that the reasons for the proposed nonrenewal could not be proved.

The commissioner of education held that the teacher’s resignation was not coerced. Under Texas law, threatening to do something that one has a right to do cannot constitute coercion. Under the current statutory process for contract nonrenewal, a principal has the responsibility to recommend to a superintendent that a teacher’s contract be presented to the school board with a recommendation to nonrenew the contract. Since the principal had the right to recommend contract action, the threat to do so was not coercion.