BEVERLY HILLS—On December 4, Beverly Hills High School (BHHS) teacher, Joanie Garrett filed a lawsuit against the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) for an alleged wrongful termination over anti-Trump rhetoric.
According to reports, Garratt taught at BHHS for more than 30 years. She is now publicly stating that she was fired on November 13. Garratt planned to retire from BHUSD on December 5.
Garratt was reportedly fired over what she posted on the internet following a student-led Make America Great Again (MAGA) rally held at the school celebrating the win of Donald J. Trump in the 2024 Presidential election.
Garratt’s attorney, V. James DeSimone made the following statement:
“This decision contradicts BHUSD’s policy that personal beliefs or activities outside of work should not be grounds for disciplinary action unless they violate the law or policy. This post was entirely within Joanie’s right of free speech and violated neither the law nor district policy. We intend to fully vindicate Ms. Garratt’s rights and filing this administrative claim is the first step in that legal journey for justice.”
Garratt’s Facebook page indicates that she is a staunch Democrat. She shared her triumphs over Democrat wins in the House and Senate on Facebook.
Here are some of the most recent posts taken directly from Mrs. Garratt’s current Facebook page:
November 23
“A teacher in Norman was evidently fired for sharing a QR code for the Brooklyn Public Library which will allow students from other states to obtain a library card to check out e-books that may be banned in their own municipal school. Here is the offending QR code for those who might be inclined to share it far and wide.”
November 13
“I was just fired as a long-term sub for AP US History. There is no AP teacher to take over. Great for the kids. Why? Because my private FB posts criticising maga and the behavior of students at the maga rally on campus.
Students harassed minorities and white dem students. I never mentioned Trump in class. Just Facebook. No more BHHS INTERACT [Club]. I wear this as a badge of honor, and stand with all teachers, past, present, and future who will be persecuted for expressing their views in public forum. Shame on BHUSD.”
November 10
Sixty-Six percent of Jews voted for Harris. Thank goodness my own people did not abandon our liberal democratic tradition. When in history has the conservative rightwing ever aligned or protected Jews?
32 percent voted for “it.” Clearly, BH didn’t get the memo. What could possibly go wrong when you give one of the most corrupt men absolute power? No checks and balances from SCOTUS or Republican Congress. What could possibly go wrong?”
President-elect Donald J. Trump stands with Israel and the Jewish people. His daughter converted to Judaism upon marrying her Jewish husband, Jared Kushner.
Canyon News found an old Facebook page of Joanie Garratt from 2017. At that time, she shared controversial links that are too risque to notate here.
Please note the AP substitute teacher’s (13) grammatical errors were not removed as they were part of the quote attributed to her.
By Sharon