Former Beverly Hills High School teacher Joanie Garratt, right, alleges that she lost her job due to a post on her personal Facebook page. ( photo courtesy of V. James DeSimone via Instagram)

Former Beverly Hills High School teacher Joanie Garratt has sued the Beverly Hills Unified School District, alleging she was removed from a long-term substitute teaching assignment in retaliation for a Facebook post criticizing President Donald Trump and a pro-Trump student demonstration on campus.

The lawsuit, filed on Aug. 17 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges BHUSD violated Garratt’s free speech and employment rights after she made the post on her personal Facebook account outside of school hours. Garratt alleges that Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Services Matthew Horvath told her on Nov. 13, 2024, that the district did not want her back in the classroom because of the post.

The complaint alleges violations of the Bane Act, California labor and education laws and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Garratt is seeking unspecified damages, attorneys’ fees and other relief and has demanded a jury trial.

At a press conference outside her attorney’s Marina del Rey office on Aug. 18, Garratt described the district’s alleged action as a traumatic end to a decades-long relationship with BHUSD.

“For me personally, it was one of the worst times of my life,” Garratt said. “It was certainly one of the most traumatic experiences of my life because I looked at Beverly Hills Unified School District as my home away from home … and now I’m persona non grata. I’m not welcome on campus, and it’s just something I could never ever imagine.”

Garratt worked for BHUSD for more than 30 years, spending approximately 15 years teaching at El Rodeo Middle School and another 15 at Beverly Hills High School. She retired from full-time teaching in 2023 but continued working as a substitute teacher and volunteering with the Interact Club.

In November 2024, Garratt accepted a long-term assignment teaching AP U.S. History at Beverly Hills High School while another teacher was on leave. The assignment began Nov. 4 and was expected to continue through Dec. 5.

Two days after Garratt began the assignment, dozens of students participated in a pro-Trump demonstration on campus following Trump’s victory in the presidential election. Videos showed students carrying Trump flags and chanting in the school courtyard.

Following the demonstration, several Black students and fashion teacher Bella Ivory alleged that some students participating in the activity made racist comments and targeted the classroom where the Black Student Union was meeting. Security footage obtained by the Beverly Press at the time showed a group of students in the hallway and students knocking on and attempting to open the classroom door, although the footage did not contain audio and did not establish whether the students at the door were part of the pro-Trump group.

Ivory later sued BHUSD, alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Her lawsuit alleges that the district retaliated against her after she spoke publicly about the pro-Trump demonstration and other incidents of alleged anti-Black racism at Beverly Hills High School. A jury trial in Ivory’s lawsuit is scheduled for November 2027.

On Nov. 7, Garratt wrote about the demonstration on her personal Facebook page. She wrote that she was “disheartened by a recent event on campus the day after the election,” and expressed concern for students who she believed had been racially targeted.

“Don’t blame the [school] administration for this. They are dealing with it. This comes from their leader, His Majesty, King Trump,” the post continued.

Garratt said she did not discuss her political views or Facebook post with students and continued teaching for approximately one week without incident.

On Nov. 13, Horvath emailed Garratt after her Facebook post was brought to his attention and asked to meet with her the following day, according to the complaint. Garratt instead asked to speak with him immediately.

The lawsuit alleges Horvath told Garratt during the subsequent phone call that the school did not want her back in the classroom because of her Facebook post. Garratt then emailed Horvath to confirm her understanding that she had been removed from the assignment because of the post, and alleges that she never received a response.

BHUSD disputed Garratt’s characterization of what occurred when the Beverly Press reported on the controversy in 2024. Then-superintendent Michael Bregy said in December 2024 that Garratt remained a substitute teacher for the district and that “no action was taken to dismiss her or any other employee.”

Additionally, the district responded to the new lawsuit in a statement on Aug. 19.

“The Beverly Hills Unified School District does not terminate employees for political statements made on their own time,” the statement read. “Any assertion otherwise is false. The district looks forward to the facts of this matter coming to light through the legal process.”

Garratt filed a government claim for damages against BHUSD on Dec. 4, 2024, a procedural step required before bringing certain claims against a public entity. Her new lawsuit alleges the district did not respond to the claim.

Attorney V. James DeSimone, who represents Garratt, said the lawsuit will now proceed into discovery, during which her attorneys intend to seek documents and information about what occurred within the district before Horvath contacted Garratt.

“It will be very interesting to see what behind the scenes took place when Mr. Horvath made that telephone call and sent that email to Joanie Garratt,” DeSimone said. “Who else knew? Who else approved of this?”

DeSimone acknowledged that public school employees do not have unlimited free speech protections in the workplace, but argued that Garratt’s case concerns political expression made on her own time that did not cause a disruption at the school.

“You don’t have absolute free speech rights in any workplace, including a school,” DeSimone said. “But what you do have is free speech rights outside of work, as long as it’s not causing a disruption into your workplace.”

The lawsuit cites BHUSD board policy stating that employees’ personal political and other beliefs and activities are not grounds for disciplinary action as long as they do not violate laws, board policies or administrative regulations. Garratt alleges her Facebook post fell within those protections.

Garratt said she believes the dispute has also affected other BHUSD teachers.

“They’re afraid to say anything that’s about anything that might be controversial these days, so it has had a stifling effect on other teachers,” Garratt said. “The teachers are following this very closely.”