A 69-year-old former Los Angeles Unified longtime music teacher sued her ex-employer Thursday, alleging she was denied training needed in conjunction with her job and ultimately forced to resign in 2023 because of harassment due to her age, which she says included an administrator questioning when she was going to retire.
Wendy Sarnoff’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges discrimination, failure to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation. She seeks unspecified damages. An LAUSD representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Sarnoff was hired in 1989 and began teaching at Venice High School two years later. She was the school’s music department chairwoman at the time of her resignation. She also taught students, managed instruments and acted as the choral groups’ choir director. VHS competed in national competition under her guidance.
“Plaintiff was incredibly dedicated to her music students, often providing clothing, competition fees and other expenses out of her own pocket,” according to the suit, which also states that she advocated on behalf of disabled and special needs students to participate in music.
However, the work atmosphere for Sarnoff changed when a vice principal became her supervisor and failed to provide the plaintiff training on a new student evaluation system with programs different from before, the suit states.
“Plaintiff was able to operate some of these programs but was not able to utilize full functionality because LAUSD never trained her,” according to the suit, which further states that Sarnoff had to buy her own desktop computer when the one issued to her was stolen.
The vice principal made various ageist remarks to Sarnoff, including asking, “Why don’t you leave already?” and various inquiries about when she may be planning to retire, the suit alleges.
The vice principal also once said to Sarnoff “You’re so in trouble” in her classroom in front of her students, leaving her feeling embarrassed and humiliated, the suit further states.
Sarnoff, frustrated with the alleged age discrimination, quit her job in October 2023 due to her work environment and no one in the district asked her to elaborate, according to the suit, which further states that her employment was formally concluded last Nov. 14.
Sarnoff has suffered lost income and benefits and experienced emotional distress since losing her job, the suit states.