Teacher in District Bias Case Wins Court Order
A teacher who is suing the Los Angeles Unified School District on charges of failing to curb racial discrimination at her school has won a court order barring the district from taking disciplinary action against her on charges that she failed to report suspected child abuse.
Emily Gibson, an African American English teacher at South Gate Middle School, received a three-day suspension without pay and a transfer notice from Principal Robert Hinojosa in January.
The court order calls for the district to hold an administrative hearing to review the charges against Gibson and prevents any disciplinary action for 60 days.
Attorney B. Kwaku Duren, who is representing Gibson and three other plaintiffs in the civil rights suit against the district, called the charges “retaliatory measures” from the school administration.
Last September, Gibson and two other South Gate teachers and a student filed a suit alleging that the district failed to curb pervasive discrimination against African American teachers and students at South Gate Middle School, which is 98% Latino.
School district attorney Jay Baron Lake said the district does not oppose a hearing for Gibson.
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