Private schools cannot end teacher contracts just because the school year ends
Fixed-term hiring of teaching staff. For it to be valid, private educational institutions must prove that the work subject matter ceased upon expiration of the contract.
Official heading (Spanish): CONTRATACIÓN POR TIEMPO DETERMINADO DE PERSONAL DOCENTE. PARA QUE RESULTE VÁLIDA, LAS INSTITUCIONES EDUCATIVAS PARTICULARES DEBEN ACREDITAR QUE AL VENCIMIENTO DEL CONTRATO SE EXTINGUIÓ LA MATERIA DE TRABAJO.
The ruling
Collegiate Circuit Courts disagreed on whether hiring teachers for a single school year is valid when the work continues. The Regional Plenary Court held that the private school must objectively and reasonably prove that the work ceased; otherwise, the relationship is extended under articles 37, section I, and 39 of the Federal Labor Law.
Our take
Many private schools sign school-year contracts as a standard way to evaluate and renew staff. This binding ruling undercuts that approach: teaching is, as a rule, permanent work, and the end of a school year alone does not justify termination. The impact falls directly on labor liabilities and on teacher renewal strategies. The rationale also reaches other sectors that use fixed-term contracts for ongoing work. Review headcount and, where performance must be assessed, use probation or training periods within their legal limits.
What to do
- Inventory school-year teacher contracts and quantify exposure from recent terminations.
- Document objective reasons when a course, subject or group genuinely ends.
- Use probation or training periods, within legal limits, to assess performance.
Details
- Court
- Regional Plenary Courts
- Type
- Binding precedent (jurisprudencia)
- Identifier
- PR.P.T.CS. J/15 L (12a.)
- Digital registry
- 2032253
- Published
- June 12, 2026
- Area
- Labor and social security
- View official source ↗
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Prepared by Artegia for information only; not legal advice. Headings in English are unofficial translations. The official text is the one published in the Semanario Judicial de la Federación or the TFJA journal.