Three employees are accusing a school district of systemic discrimination against African Americans. The suit claims that administrators used racial slurs, deprived the employees of opportunities, retaliated against them and their families, and tried to remove them from their jobs. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, lists four defendants including a school principal and the district superintendent.

The complaint alleges that the administrators conspired to deny the employees with additional training and professional development opportunities that were being offered to other teachers. One of the teachers says he was even denied proper classroom equipment in some instances. Another teacher claims that his two children were removed from normal classes for several months in retaliation for their father's complaints against the district.

The complaint states that a former assistant principal was routinely addressed using a racial slur and reminded of her race and gender by her boss. Ironically, her boss (one of the defendants) is also African American, but told the assistant principal that he didn't want to show favoritism and was intentionally denying her positive opportunities.

At one point in 2011, public protests erupted at a school board meeting. Shortly after that, one of the teachers was fired despite having no involvement in the demonstration.

The Superintendent, who is also a defendant, issued a statement saying that the claims are meritless.

Employment discrimination is defined as being denied employment opportunities or promotions or being fired based on a disability, race or national origin, gender, age, religion or pregnancy. This is an unlawful practice and should not be tolerated. Sometimes employers may retaliate against an employee who complains or voices a concern, this is also unlawful. The advice of a lawyer can be valuable in these situations, especially if someone would like to keep their current job but end the discriminatory conditions.

Source: Malverne-Westhempstead Patch, "Malverne School District Sued for Racial Discrimination," Tara Conry, Dec. 12, 2012