Beverly Hills High Teacher Says She Was Fired Over Anti-Trump Facebook Post

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — A former Beverly Hills High School teacher is suing the school district, claiming she was fired from a substitute teaching assignment because of Facebook posts criticizing President Donald Trump.

Joanie Garratt filed the lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the Beverly Hills Unified School District, alleging violations of the First Amendment and California Labor Code, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Garratt, who retired from full-time teaching after more than 30 years with the district, returned to Beverly Hills High School in November 2024 for a substitute assignment teaching Advanced Placement U.S. history.

Her attorney previously said that Garratt was terminated Nov. 13, 2024, after an assistant superintendent told her that a Facebook post was the reason for her dismissal.

The post came after a rally on campus celebrating Trump's victory the day after the 2024 election. The celebration prompted complaints from Black students who said they were harassed, the Beverly Hills Courier reported.

While she was enjoying the job, she was "disheartened" by the pro-Trump rally, Garratt wrote in the post.

"A MAGA faction dressed in full Trump regalia (banners draped around them, flying banners, red hats) not only had a MAGA rally on campus but 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," Garratt's post continues.

"Some students arrived at school truly upset & even crying only to be bullied later by their classmates. And don’t blame the administration for this. They are dealing with it. This comes from their leader, His Majesty, King Trump."

According to the Times, Garratt's lawsuit argues that the posts were made on her personal Facebook page outside of school hours and did not disrupt school activities.

The district denied the allegation Tuesday.

"The Beverly Hills Unified School District does not terminate employees for political statements made on their own time. Any assertion otherwise is false," BHUSD said in a statement to Patch. "The district looks forward to the facts of this matter coming to light through the legal process."

The lawsuit follows an administrative claim Garratt filed against the district in 2024. In that claim, she alleged the dismissal caused emotional distress, loss of sleep and other injuries and sought at least $50,000 and potentially reinstatement.

At the time, Superintendent Michael Bregy disputed Garratt's account, saying she had not been dismissed and remained a substitute teacher in the district.

"No action was taken to dismiss her or any other employee in the last month," Bregy said in December 2024.