A now-defunct Palmdale charter school will pay $8,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency announced Thursday.
Guidance Charter School was determined to have paid a female math tutor a lower hourly rate than her male counterpart despite their jobs being the same, according to the EEOC. The agency said the employee complained of the unequal pay and the school failed to address the pay discrepancy.
Such conduct violates the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the EEOC, which filed the suit in Los Angeles federal court after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation agreement through its conciliation process.
The court will maintain jurisdiction over the case for the term of the two-year consent decree.
In addition to monetary relief, Guidance Charter School will review and revise its policies and procedures, as necessary, regarding compliance with federal law; implement training to all employees regarding equal pay practices, sex discrimination, and retaliation; develop a centralized tracking system for policy dissemination and discrimination, unequal pay, or retaliation complaints; and submit annual reports to the EEOC verifying compliance with the decree, according to the EEOC.
“We continue to see pay disparity between men and women in all different industries,” said Anna Park, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles district office. “We encourage employers to evaluate their pay structure to ensure gender equity in pay.”
According to the California Department of Education’s website, the Guidance Charter School has been closed since June 30.