A teacher has filed a lawsuit against the Brentwood Union Free School District and employee Kevin Coyne, alleging workplace discrimination and harassment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The lawsuit filed by plaintiff Rhonda Young, an educator with more than three decades of experience, details a history of alleged discriminatory conduct by Coyne, an employee of the school district. According to Young, Coyne's harassment began in earnest in 2015 after she was appointed as Assistant Director of Special Services.
Wanda Ortiz-Rivera, Superintendent of Schools, Brentwood Union Free School District said, "While we do not typically comment on pending litigation, it is important to note that the District conducted a thorough independent investigation into the matter. The investigation found no evidence of racial or gender-based discrimination committed against Ms. Young. The District remains committed to maintaining a safe and respectful work environment for all employees and takes all allegations seriously. As this is now a legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time." The District reached out to The South Shore Press after seeing the report in our paper.
Young recounts in her claims an incident where Coyne confronted her aggressively during a school walkthrough, accusing her without basis and exhibiting hostile behavior. This pattern allegedly continued unabated for years, with Coyne frequently making derogatory comments about Young’s professional capabilities and using racially charged language. In one shocking instance on January 9, 2024, Coyne sent Young a text message containing a racial slur.
Despite reporting these incidents to her superiors, Young claims that no meaningful action was taken by the district to address or curb Coyne’s behavior. The situation escalated further on March 1, 2024, when an encounter in Young’s office left her feeling physically threatened by Coyne’s aggressive actions. Following this incident, the district conducted an investigation but concluded without any findings of discrimination or corrective measures against Coyne.
Young asserts that this lack of action is part of a broader pattern within the district where complaints from Black and female employees are not adequately addressed. Her lawsuit seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress and injury to reputation, as well as punitive damages due to what she describes as malicious violations of her rights under federal and state laws.
The plaintiff is demanding justice through compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and other relief deemed appropriate by the court. The case was filed in the Eastern District of New York under case ID 2:25-cv-01789.