Former Clovis teacher sues district, alleging principal sexually harassed her
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- A former Clovis Unified first grade teacher sued the district alleging sexual harassment.
- The lawsuit seeks damages against Brion Warren and Lisa Peterson.
- The complaint alleges retaliation, pressured resignation, and ignored complaints.
A former Clovis Unified first-grade teacher is accusing her former principal of sexually harassing her, acting unprofessionally and pressuring her to resign after she complained about his behavior, according to a lawsuit filed in Fresno County Superior Court.
The lawsuit seeks financial damages against the school district, Brion Warren, the principal at Century Elementary, and Lisa Peterson, senior guidance instructional specialist.
In her lawsuit, the former first-grade teacher, Jasmine Lee Scott, describes being excited at joining the staff at Century Elementary until it all unraveled amid allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
Clovis Unified spokesperson Kelly Avants said the district cannot discuss details of any specific case or any confidential personnel matters.
“At the same time, we are deeply committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for our students and our staff. It is our ongoing expectation that any allegation made contrary to that standard would be thoroughly and promptly investigated and addressed,” Avants said in a statement.
Warren and Peterson could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Scott spent five years working her way up the ladder in the school district, starting off as a campus aide and ultimately becoming a credentialed teacher.
So when the principal on May 18, 2023, asked her to join him at a neighborhood bar to discuss her new job, she agreed to go.
According to the lawsuit, when Scott arrived at Neighbors Tap and Cook House in northeast Clovis, the principal was there with Peterson.
“During the course of their conversation, Warren drank at least five drinks — beers and lemon drop martinis — and Peterson drank at least five martinis. Both Warren and Peterson became noticeably drunk,” according to the lawsuit.
While Scott found the meeting unusual and unprofessional, she soon realized drinking was normal behavior among some of the staff.
“Get used to this because we do this a lot at Century,” Warren allegedly told Scott, referring to drinking alcohol. He also explained to Scott that when he’d say, “My neighbor needs me,” that was code for going to the bar to drink.
Soon after she started working, Scott alleges Warren began to repeatedly flirt with her and make “inappropriate advances.” She accuses him of frequently commenting on her appearance and clothing, making her feel uncomfortable around him.
“His tone when making these comments often came across flirtatious and overeager, which made the interactions feel inappropriate and unprofessional,” according to the lawsuit.
Scott also recalled an incident when Warren and Peterson dressed up as superheroes. Peterson was wearing a miniskirt, and when Warren saw her, “he leered directly at her butt and said ‘Woah, baby!!’ in an exaggerated manner in front of other employees,” according to the lawsuit.
There were other times the physical affection between Warren and Peterson made Scott feel uncomfortable. During a staff trip to a winery in November 2023, Scott saw Warren and Peterson “engaging in wildly inappropriate behavior with one another. Peterson kissed Warren on the face, rubbed his shoulders, hugged him from behind and repeatedly made flirtatious comments,” the lawsuit states.
The relationship between Scott and her principal began to change after he heard from another teacher that Scott found his actions with Peterson to be extremely unprofessional.
Scott alleges that once the school’s administrators found out she did not approve of their extracurricular activities, she became the target of criticism.
Shortly after Christmas 2023, Scott was placed on a performance improvement plan that required weekly meetings with Warren and Peterson. She was told it was standard for first-year teachers, but she found out later that other first-year teachers at Century knew nothing about it.
“At that point, it became clear to Scott this so-called plan was not based on merit or policy, it was retaliation and discrimination,” the lawsuit states. “She could not help but feel she was being retaliated against for rejecting Warren’s inappropriate advances and speaking up about unprofessional conduct between Warren and Peterson and discrimination because she is a woman who stood up for herself and her perceived sexual orientation,” according to the lawsuit.
By March, Scott was called into a meeting with Warren and an area superintendent where she was told she needed to resign if she wanted any chance back into Clovis Unified.
Shocked and blindsided, Scott said in her lawsuit that she felt cornered and believed she didn’t have a choice but to resign or she would be blacklisted from ever working for the district again.
A few weeks later, Scott met with an associate superintendent of human resources and a member of faculty support. She told them about the sexual harassment and the hostile working environment she endured.
The administrators said they would look into the complaint and get back to her. They never did, according to the lawsuit.
She even approached Warren and Peterson, who initially said they would schedule a time to talk.
“But not surprisingly, they never met with her. Her complaints were once again ignored,” the lawsuit states.
One of Scott’s attorneys Heather Conniff, of the Los Angeles-area firm of ShegerianConniff, said her client’s case is an egregious example of blatant sexual harassment and discrimination.
“We are kind of surprised how much of this continues to happen across California, especially with the ‘Me Too’ happening several years ago,” she said. “You would think this kind of behavior would have dissipated and supervisors and employers would know better by now. But it is still happening, otherwise we would not be in business.”
