About Morgan Beam
Legal Assistant: Ursula A. Hussey | 713-554-6788 | uahussey@thompsonhorton.com
A proud product of Texas public schools, Morgan’s love of public education was instilled in her by her mother, a now-retired school superintendent. Morgan absorbed the ins and outs of the public school system from a very early age, and that familiarity helps her to tailor her legal representation to the unique needs of our school district clients.
Morgan represents and counsels public school districts, junior and community colleges, and other governmental entities concerning multiple areas of education and government law, including labor and employment matters, governance, student discipline concerns, employee grievances and terminations, open government laws, governmental immunity, civil rights matters, and state and federal litigation. She advocates for her clients before the Texas Education Agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Office for Civil Rights, and other administrative and regulatory agencies. Morgan also handles employment discrimination and civil rights cases, including claims brought under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, Title VII, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Morgan is a frequent speaker at statewide conferences and regularly provides in-house training to school district clients and local and regional professional organizations.
Morgan has dedicated her entire career to education and government law and brings her years of experience to serve the clients of Thompson & Horton throughout the state.
Education
- J.D., Baylor Law School, 2016
- Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in communication and sociology, magna cum laude, Texas A&M University, 2013
Licensing & Court Admissions
- Licensed in the state of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Memberships & Recognitions
- State Bar of Texas, School Law Section
- Texas Association of School Boards — Council of School Attorneys
- National School Attorney Association
Selected Client Representations
- Obtained full and partial dismissal of discrimination and constitutional claims against school district clients in both state and federal court
- Secured favorable settlements for school district clients in federal discrimination and constitutional lawsuits
- Briefed procedural issue on appeal to the Fifth Circuit, resulting in favorable dismissal of appeal
- Conducted numerous successful superintendent searches for school district clients
- Successfully represented school district clients through grievance appeals before the Commissioner of Education
- Successfully defended school district, junior college, and other governmental entities from charges of discrimination and harassment before the EEOC
- Successfully defended school district clients from charges of discrimination before the OCR
- Negotiated and filed multiple tax value limitation agreements (“Chapter 313 agreements”) for school district clients
- Counsels districts on many aspects of education law, including employment matters, student discipline, public records law, FERPA, and complaints of discrimination and retaliation by students and staff
- Conducts routine and special investigations involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, and other workplace misconduct
- Routinely assists with routine and advanced student discipline investigations and proceedings, including DAEP placements and expulsions
- Routinely assists districts in revising and updating handbooks and policies
- Routinely advises and trains on Title IX compliance in matters involving students and employees
- Advises on matters related to nonprofit organizations, including education foundations, and beneficiaries
- Regularly conducts virtual and in-person trainings for school board members, administrators, and employees on various legal topics
Representative Speeches & Presentations
- The Fine Print: Avoiding Problematic Contract Provisions, Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) Engage Conference 2024
- The Tangled Web: Social Media and Your Schpols, Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) / Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) EdCon 2023
- Updating the Playbook: Board Operating Procedures for the Modern Age, Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) / Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) EdCon 2023
- Can They Say That? Dos and Don’ts Regarding Political Speech of District Employees and Officials, Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Summer Leadership Institute 2022
- Remedying the Legal Effects of COVID-19, Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Governance Camp 2022
- Employee Mental Health Issues, Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators (TASPA) Webinar 2022
- What Administrators Need to Know from the 86th Legislative Session, Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) Winter Governance Conference 2020
- School Personnel Law (PER 303 Certification Course), Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) Engage Conference 2020
- Dress (Code) for Success, Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Winter Governance Camp 2021
- Booster Clubs & PTOs, Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Winter Governance Camp 2019
- Public Information Act for the HR Professional, Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators (TASPA) Winter Conference 2017