An Oregon middle school teacher, Susan Anglada Bartley, 46, has been awarded $301,000 following a lawsuit she filed in 2023 against Portland Public Schools. Bartley alleged repeated incidents of sexual harassment by male students at Kellogg Middle School in Portland, which she claimed the school district failed to adequately address.
Bartley, who has been teaching in the district since 2003 and specifically at Kellogg since 2021, documented numerous incidents involving male students from 2021 through 2024. The lawsuit details an episode in 2022 where a group of seventh-grade boys recorded her buttocks on a cell phone while shouting "sexy, sexy, sexy." This incident was captured on school surveillance cameras, and one student admitted to participating only because he was dared to do so for five dollars, according to an email from the school principal included in the legal filing.
Other allegations included an eighth-grade boy demanding Bartley refer to him by sexually explicit preferred pronouns during class and then shoving his phone down his pants when she tried to confiscate it. Bartley also reported that male students frequently made suggestive grunting noises when her back was turned, sounding "somewhere between the bathroom and the bedroom." In 2023, students were noted by the school's principal to be whistling and moaning while she taught.
Bartley stated that she was not the only person targeted, with other female teachers and LGBTQ+ students also experiencing harassment. One female colleague reported being struck on the buttocks by a male student, and several girls relayed a sense of frustration and distress over repeated harassment and assault from male students. These students reportedly lacked confidence in the school's ability to support them, according to an email to administrators.
The issue gained wider attention in 2022 when Bartley led a walkout and posters appeared across the school stating, "Girls in our school are being sexualized and harassed by boys. Teachers and other staff aren’t doing enough about it!" Although the then-principal Richard Smith apologised and promised to review footage and take disciplinary action, Bartley later found that the response was insufficient. While the boys involved in the recording incident were supposed to be suspended for several days, records showed they only missed one day, and the school did not monitor or check whether they had learned from their misconduct before returning.
Bartley requested school assemblies on boundaries and consent, but these were declined. Instead, a slideshow was shown to students that she felt implied girls bore responsibility for boys' behaviour. Throughout the dispute, Bartley said she was closely monitored and received a letter of reprimand after asking students to report on the grunting noises they heard and a non-disciplinary note after reporting a colleague whom she suspected of sexually assaulting a student.
As part of the settlement, Bartley agreed to resign from her role as an eighth-grade language arts teacher at Kellogg and has not worked there since October 2024. Approximately 40% of her settlement was allocated to legal fees. Her lawyer, Elizabeth Inayoshi, described the settlement as reflecting a strong case against the district but also noted that the school district engaged in retaliatory investigations and discipline against Bartley, a 20-year veteran with an unblemished and award-winning record before these events.
The school district’s legal representatives argued the harassment was "isolated and sporadic" and not severe enough to constitute a hostile work environment, adding that prompt corrective measures were taken against inappropriate student conduct.
The case involved over 250 pages of documentation, including letters, emails, depositions, and declarations that also illuminated the experiences of other female staff and students at the school.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Portland Public Schools and Bartley’s legal representatives were contacted for comment.
Source: Noah Wire Services