A gay teacher in Oregon has been awarded $90,000 in damages as part of a lawsuit alleging he was subjected to a hostile work environment and retaliated against for supporting LGBTQ students.
Eileen Brennock, a Spanish teacher at Mountain View Middle School in Newburgh, Oregon, claimed that Terry McElligott, the school’s former principal, said: told the staff At a rally on September 10, 2021, he appealed, “We shouldn’t tell our children that it’s okay to be gay or transgender.”
McElligott also reportedly told teachers not to display Pride or Black Lives Matter flags or insignia to avoid “poking.”[ing] It’s a bear. ”
The remarks attributed to McElligott, who is now retired, come after the Newburgh School Board passed a resolution banning so-called “divisive” symbols, signs, clothing, buttons and other adornments deemed “political.” It was held one month after the
The policy is There was a ruling that it was unconstitutional. It was quietly overturned by a county judge a year later.
Mr Brennock said he was uncomfortable with McElligott’s comments. She reported these things to Vice Principal Lindsay Kopacek, who allegedly gassed her, saying McElligott never made such a remark and would do so “because of cortisol and stress levels.” I told her that I must have imagined it.
Brennock reportedly responded that if a student told him they were gay, he would say, “Me too!”
Kopacek allegedly warned Brenock that he could get into “serious trouble” and that it was wrong to make such comments.
When Ms. Brennock disagreed with her opinion, Mr. Kopacek allegedly threatened Ms. Brennock’s employment.
A month later, Ms. Brennock filed a complaint with the Newburgh-Dundee Public School District regarding McElligott’s alleged comments, but despite hearing comments from others corroborating her claims, the district denied her claims. He said there was no basis for it.
Two months later, Brennock filed a complaint with the Oregon Department of Education regarding McElligott’s alleged comments. In its defense, Newburgh-Dundee Public Schools said McElligott never made the comments that were attributed to her, and even if she did, they were not discriminatory because they were “unintentional.” did.
The Oregon Department of Education investigated Mr. Brennock’s claims and ultimately issued an interim final order in his favor. In its ruling, the department found that the district likely violated the state’s LGBTQ-inclusive anti-discrimination law, saying, “The district misunderstands what constitutes discrimination under the law.” .
“It doesn’t matter whether [McElligot] Their comments were intended to discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or race. The important thing is that [those] “The comments made distinctions based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or race,” the ruling said.
“[McElligot]”‘s comments clearly state that a teacher’s conduct toward students in a particular protected class should be different from his or her conduct toward other students,” the ruling continued. “[Those] The comments clearly made teachers’ support for the Pride and Black Lives Matter movements subject to different rules than their support for other movements. ”
Brenock claimed In her lawsuit, she claimed that she and the school district entered into a “settlement agreement” aimed at mitigating anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Part of the agreement required school districts to train staff on LGBTQ issues.
But Brennock said in her recent lawsuit that the district delayed the start of training, “constantly belittled and ridiculed” staff members who were giving training presentations, threatened presenters and changed their behavior, and other times. or breached the agreement. The language of the anti-discrimination presentation asserts that LGBTQ people are from “the other side of the fence.”
Brennock accused former Superintendent Stephen Phillips of allegedly making anti-gay slurs and implying that laws protecting LGBTQ people were “immoral.”
She alleged that Phillips and other administrators ridiculed the very idea of training, made offensive comments about LGBTQ identities and created a “hostile work environment.”
One of the terms of the settlement agreement was that Brennock agree to work at another middle school in the district. She was then told her position had been reduced and she would not be allowed to return to her old school, according to the complaint.
Then, in October 2023, the Oregon Department of Education found the district had violated the arbitration agreement and ordered the district to comply with its obligations.
In a lawsuit filed two months after the discovery, Brennock claimed that an environment that fostered anti-LGBTQ hostility caused her “emotional distress” and even made her fear for her physical safety. . In November 2024, the school district settled Brennock’s lawsuit and agreed to pay her $90,000 in non-economic damages. About $53,000 of that money will go to Ms. Brennock and the rest to her lawyer, Diane Sykes.
As part of the agreement, the district did not admit liability but agreed to post a discrimination complaint form on its website and print the form in school counselors’ offices by the start of the 2025-26 school year.
The district also agreed to publicly commit to fostering an inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff.
“The district reaffirms its commitment to fostering an inclusive, welcoming, and equitable school and work environment for all students, staff, and staff,” the district said in a statement. “The settlement of this lawsuit is a step toward restoring stability and refocusing us on providing a quality education to all students.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
