Trial Magazine

Julia Frost taught at Sultana High School in the Hesperia Unified School District. Frost, a lesbian, was an advisor for the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance and helped the club bring in a speaker from the American Civil Liberties Union to discuss discrimination at the school, including a purported requirement that students wear gender appropriate clothing.

Two years after Frost began teaching at Sultana, the school district decided not to renew her contract. Despite applying for up to 40 new teaching positions, Frost, who was in her late 30s, was unable to obtain another teaching job. She now works as a consultant for a school district.

Frost sued the Hesperia Unified School District, alleging sexual orientation harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The defense argued that the recommendation for non-renewal had been lawful.

The parties settled for $850,000. The settlement also included removal of the non-renewal recommendation from Frost’s employment record.

Citation: Frost v. Hesperia Unified Sch. Dist., No. CIVDS1313980 (Cal. Super. Ct. San Bernardino Cnty. Apr. 18, 2019).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Dan L. Stormer, Pasadena, Calif.; and Jennifer Pizer, Los Angeles.