WA sues SPS over pregnancy accommodations

Seattle Public Schools faces civil rights lawsuit from WA AG

Seattle Public Schools is now facing a civil rights lawsuit filed by the Washington Attorney General for allegedly failing to provide accommodations to pregnant and nursing employees.

SEATTLE - Washington state is suing Seattle Public Schools, alleging the district has repeatedly failed to accommodate pregnant and nursing employees.

According to the Attorney General's Office, their investigation found SPS "routinely failed" to provide accommodations to pregnant and nursing employees — including flexible bathroom breaks, modified schedules, and the ability to sit more often — all of which are required by law.

The AGO contends one pregnant employee they spoke with was not allowed to sit her entire workday, and she was eight months pregnant.

What they're saying:

"These employees suffered mentally, physically, and financially because of the school district’s actions," said Attorney General Nick Brown. "The Legislature has been clear that employers must accommodate the health needs of their pregnant and nursing workers, which is why Washington has laws banning employers from doing what Seattle Public Schools did to its employees."

The department's investigation found that SPS lacked a district-level policy for handling pregnancy accommodation requests. They also determined that the school district "[retaliated] against employees who sought reasonable accommodations," including negative performance reviews, disparaging employees, removing them from preferred classroom assignments, and in some cases, leaving employees unpaid or without benefits during pregnancy.

Before filing the suit, the Attorney General's Office approached SPS and aimed to come to an agreement over these accommodations, but the AGO claims "those discussions were unsuccessful."

What's next:

The lawsuit was filed in King County Superior Court and seeks to stop SPS's alleged "discriminatory practices" and award restitution to employees.

FOX 13 Seattle reached out to Seattle Public Schools for comment, but they did not respond.

The Source: Information in this story comes from the Washington State Attorney General's Office.