Former Seattle Public Schools culinary staff sue district and past boss

Two former Seattle Public Schools (SPS) employees are suing the district and their previous boss.

In the lawsuit, Emme Collins, SPS’s district executive chef from 2019 to 2023, and Helen Jones, operations manager in culinary services at SPS from 1998 to 2023, accused SPS Director of Culinary Services Aaron Smith of bullying and harassment.

In July 2022, Collins went on a work trip with Smith and claimed he pressured her to drink alcohol when she told him she didn’t want to.

She said during a dinner with a vendor, he “scowled” at her when she couldn’t provide more information about a program she was not a part of.

“Defendant Smith’s behavior toward plaintiff Collins made both the vendor and plaintiff Collins very uncomfortable,” the lawsuit stated.

The vendor then allegedly arranged for Collins to leave the dinner early via Uber due to Smith’s behavior.

Seattle Public Schools’ director of culinary services allegedly targeted executive chef

Collins said after the trip, Smith apologized for his behavior, but then “began targeting” her.

In August 2022, Collins alleged Smith refused to help her hold staff accountable for incomplete work, telling her to “pick up the undone work or let it fail.”

Collins said she and Smith both took photos for a magazine, but she unexpectedly ended up on the cover. When she came into work, the magazines were allegedly turned face down.

In October 2022, she stated that she addressed Smith’s behavior with him, and he responded that he needed to work on communication issues on his part.

However, in November 2022, Collins said her coworkers were given credit for a menu that she created.

Collins then took medical leave from January to April 2023. While she was away, Smith allegedly made an organization chart that did not include her.

“Defendant Smith also created a new ‘menu team’ while plaintiff Collins was out on leave, even though plaintiff Collins, as the head chef, was the only team member who created new menu items,” the lawsuit stated.

Smith also allegedly closed a deli Collins managed without speaking to her.

Due to Smith’s “hostility and targeted retaliation,” Collins resigned from SPS in May 2023, according to the lawsuit.

Seattle Public Schools’ director of culinary services accused of bullying operations manager

Jones began working for SPS in 1998 and became the culinary services operations manager in 2019. Jones said she witnessed Smith “retaliate and bully” his senior administrative assistant in 2021.

“In April 2021, defendant Smith approached several team members, including plaintiff Jones, and requested that they provide negative comments about his senior administrative assistant. Plaintiff Jones refused to do so,” the lawsuit stated. “Thereafter, defendant Smith stopped talking to plaintiff Jones, refused to respond to her emails or otherwise communicate with her despite her position being second-in-command.”

When Jones spoke with Frank Griffin, director of facilities services, regarding her difficulties with Smith, he allegedly began dispersing her work responsibilities to other team members instead of reporting her concerns.

During the summer of 2022, Jones met with several SPS employees about Smith, including the class and compensation manager, the former employment services manager, and the senior human resources analyst in labor relations. She said she even met with Chief Operations Officer Fred Podesta.

However, she said there was no change in Smith’s behavior.

In December 2022, Jones’ ADA accommodation request was approved, but Smith allegedly changed the dates.

Jones then filed a formal retaliation claim against Smith, accusing him of “lack of support, bullying, and intimidation behavior.”

In March 2023, Jones was informed that SPS would not be investigating her claim further.

Therefore, in May 2023, she resigned due to alleged “harassment, bullying, discrimination, and retaliatory behavior” from Smith.

The women are seeking a jury trial to prove they were retaliated against, that SPS was negligent, and to recover monetary damages.

Seattle Public Schools responds to lawsuit

SPS responded with a statement to MyNorthwest:

“Seattle Public Schools (SPS) received this lawsuit, and legal counsel is reviewing the allegations. The district will not be commenting on the specifics of the lawsuit,” the district wrote.

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