A former science teacher, who is black, at a high school in Chula Vista has filed suit against the Sweetwater Union High School District, claiming they did nothing to protect her after she was allegedly targeted by race-themed messages allegedly posted by students against her on communication boards visible to students.
The complaint names as defendants the Sweetwater school district, along with individual defendants district superintendent Moises Aguirre; former superintendent Karen Janney; school board president Nicholas Segura; other members of the Sweetwater Union school board; Anna Pedroza, principal at Otay Ranch High School; and former Otay Ranch principal Mary Rose Peralta.
According to the complaint, Brown worked at Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista from 2019 to December 2023. During that time, the complaint asserts she was the only black science teacher, and the only black teacher instructing non-special education students at the school.
According to the complaint, Brown had worked as a teacher within the Sweetwater Union district since 2004.
According to the complaint, Brown was considered to be a good teacher by her colleagues.
However, she said she was eventually led to resign after a series of incidents beginning in 2020 in which she was allegedly personally targeted by students with anti-black racial slurs and lewd and racially tinged messages, including "monkey imagery" and crude sexual imagery, aimed at her posted in the classroom and on student communication boards. According to the complaint, Brown repeatedly notified school administrators about the alleged racial harassment by students, but they allegedly took no action to address her complaints, address the alleged student behavior, or "to develop methods to sensitize all concerned to this racial harassment."
The complaint asserts school administrators during the same time period, however, allegedly issued statements to condemn and address anti-Latino racist behavior in other school districts, while allegedly continuing to ignore her complaints. They also allegedly took action against alleged antisemitic and homophobic actions by students.
The lawsuit asserts the school violated federal and state civil rights laws by allegedly failing to address the alleged harassment.
Brown is seeking unspecified compensatory, special and punitive damages, plus attorney fees.
Brown is represented in the action by attorneys Michele A. McKenzie, Timothy A. Scott and Nicolas O. Jimenez, of McKenzie Scott PC, of San Diego.