A longtime Beverly Hills substitute teacher is suing the school district, alleging she was fired for criticizing Donald Trump on her personal Facebook page after a pro-Trump rally at Beverly Hills High School where students used racial slurs, according to the lawsuit.

Joanie Garratt, who spent 30 years in the classroom and 15 of those at Beverly Hills Unified School District, filed the lawsuit Aug. 18 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. She alleges BHUSD violated both the California Labor Code and her First Amendment rights when Assistant Superintendent Matthew Horvath terminated her over the post.

"It was certainly one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, because I looked at Beverly Hills Unified School district as my home away from home, where I spent so many years and had so many wonderful experiences," Garratt said at an Aug. 18 news conference in Marina del Rey. "And now I'm persona non grata."

What happened

Garratt was on a monthlong substitute assignment at Beverly Hills High School in November 2024, helping students prepare for the AP U.S. History exam. On Nov. 6, 2024, the day after the presidential election, a group of mostly male students held a pro-Trump rally on campus, wearing MAGA T-shirts and hats and carrying at least two Trump cardboard cutouts.

According to the lawsuit, rally participants made "racist and threatening actions towards other students," including toward Bella Ivory, a teacher and administrator of the Black Student Union. Around a dozen Black students later expressed concerns at a Board of Trustees meeting, the Los Angeles Times reported. BHHS Principal Drew Stewart sent a message to families saying the school would protect students' free speech but would limit their ability to congregate in large groups.

On Nov. 7, 2024, Garratt posted on her personal Facebook page that pro-Trump students "harassed & intimidated many other non-maga students and specifically targeted the class where the Black Student Union was meeting, yelling all kinds of racial slurs." She also wrote she was "ashamed to be an American" and that Trump supporters "worship a fascist."

The firing

Six days after the post, on Nov. 13, 2024, Horvath emailed Garratt referencing her Facebook activity and asked to meet the following day. During a phone call, Horvath told Garratt the district didn't want her back, according to ABC7.

Her attorney, V. James DeSimone of Marina del Rey, said Horvath told Garratt directly that the district no longer wanted her and confirmed she was fired when she asked. Garratt emailed Horvath afterward to confirm the termination.

Horvath did not respond.

The lawsuit cites BHUSD's own board policy, which states that "an employee's personal beliefs and activities, including religious, political, cultural, social or other beliefs or activities, or lack thereof, shall not be grounds for disciplinary action against the employee, provided that the beliefs or activities do not violate law, board policy or administrative regulations."

The suit argues that unlike the pro-Trump rally, which took place on school grounds during school hours, nothing in Garratt's Facebook post disrupted or impacted any school activities.

Garratt is seeking unspecified damages.

BHUSD has not publicly responded to the lawsuit. The district did not respond to the Los Angeles Times' request for comment as of Aug. 18. The case is pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court.