PHILADELPHIA — A School District of Philadelphia employee claims she faced discrimination, disciplinary actions and retaliation because of her pregnancy.
Edwena Leite filed a complaint Jan. 24 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against School District of Philadelphia alleging gender/pregnancy discrimination and other claims.
Leite, an African American female, was hired as special education teacher by the defendant in August of 2000. She alleges that on May 7, 2020, she told her principal Zaida Alfaro that she was pregnant and that shortly afterward, she was reprimanded in retaliation of her pregnancy.
She also alleges her assistant principal "nitpicked" her work, increased her workload while making it difficult to complete her job duties and subjected her to an investigation and suspension as retaliation. Leite further alleges that the assistant principal had a history of speaking to her in a "rude and condescending" manner but did not treat the Caucasian and Hispanic workers in the same manner. She claims the defendant also did not provide her with a reasonable accommodation in violation of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.
Leite seeks monetary relief, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. She is represented by David Koller and Jordan Santo in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 2:22-CV-00306