Attorney General sues Seattle Public Schools over alleged mistreatment of pregnant, nursing staff

The Washington State Attorney General’s (AG) Office is suing Seattle Public Schools over alleged illegal treatment of its employees.

The AG’s Office is accusing Seattle Public Schools of failing to provide legally required accommodations for pregnant and nursing employees, as stated in a news release Tuesday.

“The office’s investigation found Seattle Public Schools routinely failed to provide legally required accommodations to pregnant and nursing employees such as flexible restroom breaks, modified work schedules, and the ability to sit more frequently,” the AG’s Office wrote in its release. “One employee, while eight months pregnant, was unable to sit her entire workday.”

According to the AG’s Office, the practices affected employees across various schools over several years. The investigation also showed that Seattle Public Schools did not have a district-level policy for how to handle pregnancy accommodation requests from employees.

Lawsuit claims Seattle Public Schools employees developed infections

The AG’s Office said the district also failed to provide necessary break time to express milk, along with clean, private locations for nursing employees to pump.

“Employees were walked in on while expressing milk, endured painful clogged ducts, and experienced infections like mastitis,” the news release stated. “One employee felt ‘they had no choice but to take leave to continue breastfeeding,’ according to the complaint.”

The lawsuit further claims the district broke state law by retaliating against employees who requested reasonable accommodations by not paying employees and leaving them without benefits during or immediately after their pregnancies.

“These employees suffered mentally, physically, and financially because of the school district’s actions,” Attorney General Nick Brown said via the release. “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.”

According to the AG’s Office, the practices date back to at least 2021 and violate the Healthy Starts Act, along with the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

Anyone who has experienced pregnancy discrimination at Seattle Public Schools is asked to contact the AG’s Office Civil Rights Division by emailing seattleschoolslawsuit@atg.wa.gov or by calling 833-660-4877 and selecting Option 5. Current and former employees can also submit a complaint using the online form.

Follow Julia Dallas on X. Read her stories here. Submit news tips here.