Vallejo school district to pay $150K to settle disability discrimination complaint

VALLEJO – The Vallejo City Unified School District has agreed to pay a $150,000 settlement to resolve a disability discrimination complaint from an employee, the California Civil Rights Department announced on Wednesday. 

The department said in a press release that it received a complaint last year “from an employee who alleged that the school district failed to consider their request for telework as an accommodation for a disability” by ignoring the request. 

The press release states that the worker “submitted a doctor’s note and made multiple attempts to have their request be considered,” but never received a response from the district, effectively denying it.

The employee’s role did not require them to interact with students in person and they had previously been allowed to work remotely, the employee alleged in their complaint. 

A copy of the settlement agreement provided by the department redacted the employee’s name.

Vallejo school district spokesperson Celina Bagiao said in an email that the district “is committed to providing a fair and supportive workplace for all employees, including those who request disability-related accommodations” and that it entered into the agreement “without admitting liability or wrongdoing.”

Bagiao said the employee no longer works for the district and the agreement was reached through voluntary mediation.

Under California law, when an “employee with a known physical or mental disability or medical condition requests reasonable accommodations” the employer is required to “identify or implement an effective, reasonable accommodation for an employee.”

“When someone asks for an accommodation, employers have to pay attention,” Civil Rights Department Director Kevin Kish said in a statement. “Every worker is entitled to a meaningful opportunity to discuss with their employer ways to help them stay on the job regardless of disability.”

“As a result of this settlement, staff at the Vallejo City Unified School District can now expect that their accommodation requests will be heard,” Kish said.

The settlement includes several additional terms on top of the $150,000 payment. The district is required to grant sick leave the worker used as a result of not being granted their request last year. 

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Matthew Chamberlain and Human Resources Director Hattie Kogami must take at minimum a one hour training on “responding to reasonable accommodation requests,” according to the settlement agreement.

Lastly, the district must review its policies for addressing reasonable accommodations, update all policies as needed to ensure compliance with state law, and share any changes made with all district employees.

Baguiao said the district is in the process of fulfilling the terms of the settlement, and “remains committed to responding to accommodation requests fairly, thoughtfully, and promptly.”