Allegations of sexual harassment in Florida and elsewhere should always be taken seriously and handled in a timely fashion. A woman who worked at an elementary school in another state said that she faced regular sexual harassment on the job, but her complaints were ignored. She has now taken her complaint to a Superior Court against the school district.
The woman worked as a janitor on the 3-11p.m. shift. Another janitor also began working with her, but she claims that he often came to work inebriated. She alleges that the other janitor leered at her and would make inappropriate remarks about her body. The plaintiff brought her complaint to her superior and requested that another male employee be on the same shift so that she felt safer. Her supervisor purportedly did not take her concerns seriously and made a comment that the other janitor was too overweight and old to cause her any harm.
The plaintiff was distressed by the reaction and decided to make some changes on her own to attempt to lessen the harassment. She tied sweatshirts around her waist to cover up more of her body, and she chose to work less hours. Despite her efforts, the other custodian continued to torment her. The situation came to a breaking point when the other janitor turned off the lights in the school and professed his love for the plaintiff while masturbating. The plaintiff called the police even though her supervisor tried to get her to change her mind.
The other custodian was eventually fired and so was the plaintiff. She was told that she was being terminated because she had missed an excessive amount of work, but she retorted that she was caring for her son. The plaintiff alleges that she had dealt with another co-workers who had subjected her to sexual harassment as well. The attorney for the school district stated that the claims were baseless. Florida workers should not fear retaliation for reporting inappropriate behavior, and those who face adverse working conditions after complaining may choose to turn to the law.
Source: wcvb.com, "Ex-janitor files sexual harassment suit against school district", Jim Haddadin, Aug. 27, 2015