A Fontana preschool that implemented an English-only policy for its staff has settled with California for $200,000 after a teacher's aide said administrators retaliated against her for speaking Spanish. The amount may be divided between former and current employees affected by the policy.
The issue started with a pen, the California Department of Human Rights announced in a news release Thursday. The federal watchdog investigates claims of abuse by employers and has filed lawsuits against Tesla, video game giant Activision Blizzard, Microsoft and Ralphs supermarkets.
In 2023, the state agency began its investigation into Leaps and Bounds, a private charter school and elementary school with locations in Escondido, La Puente and Fontana.
An employee at the school said his hours have been drastically reduced and he feels discriminated against because of his background. After someone overheard an employee speaking Spanish — they were asking a colleague for a pen — the school implemented an English-only policy in the workplace, the Department of Human Rights said. The person said workers were whispering in Spanish, so management responded by requiring workers to sign an agreement barring them from speaking Spanish at work, unless they needed to communicate with a parent who could not speak English, according to the settlement agreement.
“Teachers deserve to feel respected for their heritage, but instead the Leaps and Bounds language ban fostered a hostile work culture that made employees feel unimportant and unwelcome,” Kevin Kish, director of the California Department of Human Rights, said in a statement.
California's civil rights laws prohibit employers from discriminating against their employees based on their national origin, race or ethnicity, according to the Department of Human Rights.
The employee who filed the complaint was able to enter into negotiations with the government agency and their employer. Leaps and Bounds has agreed to end its English-only policy and train its employees on California civil rights laws.
Leaps and Bounds did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the California Department of Human Rights could not be reached for additional information about the case. The settlement will fund a $35,000 award to the employee who filed the complaint, and cover the costs incurred in notifying current and former employees who may be entitled to compensation.
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