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Eileen Brennock, a Spanish teacher at Mountain View Middle School, claimed that former Principal Terry McElligot told staff at a 2021 meeting that “it’s not okay to tell kids it’s okay to be gay or trans."
An Oregon teacher has been awarded $90,000 after suing her district for creating a hostile work environment for her over her defense of LGBTQ+ students.
Eileen Brennock, a Spanish teacher at Mountain View Middle School, claimed that former Principal Terry McElligot told staff at a Sept. 10, 2021 meeting that “it’s not okay to tell kids it’s okay to be gay or trans,” according to the lawsuit via The Oregonian/Oregon Live. McElligot also reportedly told teachers not to display any Pride or Black Lives Matter signs to avoid "pok[ing] the bear."
The alleged remarks from McElligot, who has since retired, came one month after the school board voted to ban any signs, clothing, or items that could be understood as "political," citing Pride flags and Black Lives Matter apparel. The policy was ruled unconstitutional by a county judge a year later and quietly overturned.
Brennock claimed that when she reported McElligot's comments to assistant principal Lindsey Kopacek, she was told that she was imagining the remarks “due to cortisol and stress levels.” Frustrated, Brennock said that she told Kopacek that if a student were to come out as gay to her, she would not tell them it was wrong, but rather "Me too!"
The assistant principal then allegedly told her such remarks could get her in trouble, leading Brennock to file the suit as well as a complaint with the state Department of Education, accusing the school of creating a hostile work environment. Brennock's complaints allege that the harassment persisted after her filing.
Brennock claimed that the district continuously mocked training around LGBTQ+ issues by “constantly undermining and ridiculing the staff,” even going so far as to out some of the presenters' LGBTQ+ identities. The district also reportedly changed the wording in the anti-discrimination presentation, referring to sexual orientation and gender identity as a “lifestyle” and claiming that LGBTQ+ people are from the “opposite side of the fence."
The settlement awards Brennock $90,000, but the district has not admitted liability. Instead, it has agreed to host discrimination complaint forms on its website and print forms in school counselors’ offices by the start of the 2025-26 school year, and release a public statement affirming its commitment to creating an inclusive learning environment.
