Teacher Says She Was Suspended Despite Student’s Threatening Behavior

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A veteran Los Angeles Unified teacher is suing the district, alleging she was punished with two unpaid suspensions instead of disciplining a disruptive student who she says threatened to get a gun and kill her.

Amanda Brownlie’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations include age and disability discrimination and harassment as well as retaliation. She seeks unspecified damages.

An LAUSD representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Thursday.

Brownlie, 48, has worked for the LAUSD for 25 years. In 2021, the district gave her an accommodation for her depression and anxiety, the suit states. The next year, a student targeted Brownlie for harassment and he was psychologically abusive to the plaintiff and other teachers, the suit further states.

In November 2022, the same pupil told other students that he had a gun and was going to shoot Brownlie and he repeatedly used his hands during class to simulate that he was firing a gun at the plaintiff, the suit alleges.

The student called Brownlie derogatory names, used obscene language during class and daily attacked other students, according to the suit, which further alleges that the pupil often stepped in front of the plaintiff to try and trip or brush hard against her.

In March 2023, Brownlie told the school principal that the student was making the classroom unsafe for her and other students, and a student intervention plan created for him was unsuccessful and the administration took no further action against him, the suit states.

Brownlie went placed on medical leave by her doctor in May 2023, but at the same time she was suspended for eight days without pay because the student had accused her of calling him names and grabbing a pencil from him, according to the suit, which further states that she was subsequently put on another unpaid leave for 10 days in December 2023.

The principal blamed Brownlie for the student’s behavior, saying it was the plaintiff’s responsibility to discipline him, the suit states. Brownlie had never in the past received negative reviews or complaints from students, the suit further states.