Discrimination is still a major problem in American society. Some Minnesota residents believe they experience discrimination because of their religion. For others, it is their disability. But, for millions of people in this country, race discrimination is their biggest concern. When this type of discrimination occurs in the workplace, employee rights come into play.
According to a recent report, a teacher in Minnesota has alleged that he was the victim of race discrimination by his former employer, Saint Paul Public Schools. The teacher has filed a lawsuit based on the allegations, which he believes stem from his critical opinion of a policy in the school system to “discipline black students less severely than white students.”
The teacher was very open about his criticism of the policy, making appearances on national news networks. When the teacher first spoke out against the policy in 2014, he was the only black teacher at the school where he taught. He himself had a clean disciplinary record, but after he spoke out about the policy the school district began to investigate him. In 2015, when he thought he might get fired from his job, the teacher took another position.
In his lawsuit, the teacher is reportedly seeking $260,000. He had tried to work things out with his former employer prior to filing a lawsuit, but the recent report indicates that representatives of the school district didn’t show up to a meeting that had been arranged. Now, he will attempt to hold his former employer accountable for this employment discrimination. While it remains to be seen what the outcome of this lawsuit will be, what is important to remember is that those who believe they have been discriminated against in the workplace may have legal options to consider.
Source: theblaze.com, “Black teacher’s lawsuit: District retaliated after I criticized lax discipline for black students,” Dave Urbanski, May 12, 2017
