Eileen Brennock, a gay Spanish teacher in Oregon, is passionate about protecting and helping her students. So passionate, in fact, that she took her school board to court for its discriminatory treatment towards LGBTQ+ students and was awarded $90,000.
Brennock, who teaches at Mountain View Middle School, sued the Newberg School District in May. She claimed the district, its superintendent, and one of its principals retaliated against her for advocating for queer students.
In 2021, the lawsuit alleges Principal Terry McElligott told staff “it’s not okay to tell kids it’s okay to be gay or trans” during a meeting. McEllligott is also accused of telling staff members not to display any Pride flags or Black Lives Matter signs to avoid “pok[ing] the bear.” Brennock quickly reported the inappropriate comments to Assistant Principal Lindsey Kopacek, but the situation was far from over.
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Kopacek allegedly attempted to smother the complaint, telling Brennock that she must have imaged the comments “due to cortisol and stress levels.” Brennock says she openly refused to follow McElligott’s direction and told the assistant principal that if a student told her they were gay, she would simply reply, “me too!”
Her response was not well-received. Brennock claims Kopacek threatened her employment over the report, and was told she could get in “serious trouble.” Her complaint was thrown out.
Brennock, who has since retired, didn’t stop advocating for better treatment. She filed a complaint with the Oregon Department of Education. Despite the ODE ruling in her favor and finding that the Newberg School District likely violated multiple anti-discrimination laws, the hostile work environment persisted.
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The district allegedly continued to mock LGBTQ+ required staff training and referred to LGBTQ+ identities as a “lifestyle” in an anti-discrimination presentation ordered by the state education department.
Brennock also accused the superintendent at the time, Stephens Phillips, of using a gay slur.
The Newberg School District refused to admit responsibility in the recent settlement, maintaining that McElligott never made discriminatory comments during a staff meeting. However, the district did agree to work towards fostering an inclusive environment and make discrimination complaint forms available online and in print in the next school year.
This is not the first time this school district has been the center of a lawsuit. In 2021, a union representing hundreds of teachers sued the district over its ban on Pride, BLM, and other political symbols in the classroom. The ban was officially declared unconstitutional last year, although Brennock’s lawsuit proves the district has continued to push the policy.
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