HARRISBURG — A former school counselor is suing the Waynesboro Area School District, alleging discrimination that she says led her to quitting her job.
Brenda Lantz filed a lawsuit Feb. 9 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania against Waynesboro Area School District, Dr. Sheridan Diller, Dr. Wendy Royer and Dr. Diane McCallum, alleging violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991, violation of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, retaliation, aiding and abetting, and violations of the First, Fifth and 14th Amendment rights.
According to the complaint, Lantz was employed as a school counselor from 1998 to June 2014 in the Waynesboro Area School District. The suits says on Jan. 31, 2014, Royer and McCallum informed Lantz she was being reassigned to teach English even though the plaintiff had 16 years of counseling experience, had served for two years as chair of the counseling department and had no teaching experience.
The plaintiff argues she was demoted based on her gender, prompting her to file a charge of discrimination with EEOC on Feb. 10, 2014, which was cross-filed with the PHRC.
Lantz says after filing she was subjected to a pattern of retaliation from the defendants, and between September and November 2014, she was ordered by a physician to stop going to work due to the deterioration of her health.
The plaintiff says sent a detailed letter Oct. 5, 2014 to the defendants, outlining the discriminatory acts, but alleges no remedial action was taken. Lantz resigned in November 2014 and alleges the actions against her were willfully unlawful.
Lantz seeks reinstatement to her previous employment, tort remedies, compensatory damages, punitive damages, declaratory and injunctive relief, fair compensation, lost wages, pre and post-judgment interest, costs, attorney fees and a trial by jury. She is represented by attorney David L. Deratzian of Hahalis & Kounoupis in Bethlehem.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Case number 1:16-cv-00224-SHR