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Black former school administrator files discrimination suit against Boston Public Schools
James Lambert claims BPS discriminated against him in a wrongful termination suit filed in Suffolk Superior Court Wednesday.
A former school administrator filed a wrongful termination suit against Boston Public Schools last week, claiming the district didn’t support him after he was targeted by racist staff with sexual assault allegations.
James Lambert III, a Black man, was hired as dean of students at the James F. Condon School in South Boston in 2015, according to the complaint filed in Suffolk Superior Court May 22. He was promoted about a year later to director of operations and “faced resentment and received push-back from White staff,” the complaint said.
At the time, the school’s staff was mostly white despite teaching mostly students of color, the complaint said.
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The suit comes on the heels of one filed earlier this year, in which another former BPS administrator of color claims she was fired after raising concerns about advancing underprepared English learners. The South Asian woman is suing for damages relating to discrimination and retaliation.
“BPS intimidates us by silencing and separating us from our communities. They treat Black bodies with complete disregard,” Lambert said in a statement through his lawyer. “There’s a track record of them stepping right over us to destroy the next Black leader who is trying to create real change by prioritizing families before the comfort of the district.”
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A BPS spokesperson said they don’t comment on litigation or personnel issues.
Complaint: Custodians labeled photo of monkey with Black facilities manager’s name
Lambert was fired in 2022 after he gave a speech at a graduation ceremony where he referenced racism he faced for years since his 2016 promotion, the complaint said. Lambert was on leave at the time and was asked to speak the day of the ceremony, the suit claimed.
“During the speech, Lambert referred to the racial slander and disparities within the school community as a means to inspire students and families to rise above hate and racism as they transition to high school,” the complaint said.
BPS terminated Lambert “shortly after” the speech, the complaint said.
Over the course of his employment, Lambert notified BPS about multiple incidents, including when custodial staff exhibited a photo of a monkey with the name of a Black facilities manager, the complaint said. After Lambert reprimanded them, the complaint alleges, the custodial staff retaliated.
The complaint also details Lambert’s working relationship with secretary Michelle Zawadzki, who according to the suit would refuse to follow Lambert’s instructions. She is named as a defendant. She belittled and undermined him, the complaint said, and racial tensions among the staff worsened as the staff became more diverse.
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During the last of multiple attempted mediations, Zawadzki’s union representative allegedly said “race is a game you people play,” when Lambert “identified that his safe person in the space was a person of color because it was apparent Zawadzki’s insubordination was lined in racial hatred,” according to court documents.
SEIU Local 888 is named as a defendant in the suit along with Neal O’Brien, the union representative. A spokesperson for the union told Boston.com they couldn’t comment, as they haven’t been notified about the suit.
Zawadzki then “falsely” accused Lambert of sexual misconduct and harassment around 2021, the complaint said, when she told BPS that she heard him make a comment about his penis years earlier.
Amid the allegations, O’Brien and the union demonstrated outside the school at dismissal, the complaint said, where they “ambushed families and students with racially motivated, hate filled fliers.” The complaint also said white union members called Black staff members slurs.
“At the height of the racial tension, one White staff member conspired with others at the Condon School to level a false claim that Lambert attempted to hire her daughter to ‘beat up’ a Condon School teacher,” the complaint said.
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According to the complaint, BPS found that those allegations were false, but “failed to inform Lambert of the results of the investigation.”
Lawyer: Lambert ‘hopes to have his day in court’
The suit claims BPS didn’t support Lambert through multiple investigations, incidents, and the demonstration outside the school. BPS Chief of Schools and Accountability Drew Echelson and Deputy Superintendent of Operations Samuel DePina are named in the suits as defendants.
Lambert is suing for $750,000 in damages for loss of income, loss of earning capacity, emotional distress, and damage to his reputation. According to his lawyer, he refused a severance package after his termination “in hopes to have his day in court.”
“He hopes to be the voice for many Black individuals who faced and continue to face similar racist treatment at the hands of BPS,” Stephanie Rodriguez-Ruiz said in a statement. “It is no coincidence that the stories of former Black BPS employees share similarities in the disparate treatment they endured during their employment.”
The full complaint is available here.
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