Veteran Beverly Hills Teacher Sues District, Alleging Retaliation Over Political Speech

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Tuesday, August 18, 2026 — A veteran Beverly Hills High School history teacher, terminated from a month-long substitute assignment to help prepare students for their AP U.S. History exam, has filed a lawsuit alleging the school district violated her civil rights over a personal Facebook post expressing concern about a pro-Trump student rally where Black students reported being subjected to racial slurs, bullying and intimidation.

Joanie Garratt, who spent more than 30 years teaching in the Beverly Hills Unified School District, was terminated six days after her off-duty criticism of the disruptive Nov. 6, 2024 rally held by student supporters of President Donald Trump celebrating his election win.

Students first celebrated on election day, but the next day it escalated into a large group of students marching through the high school’s halls displaying Trump flags, banners and regalia, and ending up outside a classroom where the school’s Black Student Union was meeting and banging on the door. Black students and a teacher reported being the targets of bullying, intimidation and slurs, including the n-word, from those in the pro-Trump crowd.

The next day the school’s student newspaper criticized the disruption caused by the rally and the bullying from among those involved in the march. That evening Garratt posted her reaction to the rally on her personal Facebook page, according to the lawsuit.

Garratt continued to teach her class for a week after her post. She did not express any of her views inside the classroom and focused on maintaining students’ preparations for the test, held in May, while their regular teacher was out for a month, the lawsuit states. Even so, Garratt was terminated on Nov. 13. Assistant Superintendent Matthew Horvath informed her during a brief phone call that her post led to her dismissal, while mentioning her posts as a problem.

Garratt’s comment is a prime example of political speech that’s protected under the First Amendment and California labor and education codes, said Marina del Rey civil rights attorney V. James DeSimone.

“Joanie’s post was made on her own Facebook account, on her own time, and her classroom instruction focused on preparing her students to pass the AP U.S. History exam,” DeSimone said. “BHUSD’s policies affirm employees’ rights to hold and express personal beliefs without fear of reprisal, provided such activities do not disrupt their work,” DeSimone said.

Instead, school administrators opted to punish Garratt for exercising her rights, causing emotional distress and harming students who relied on her guidance, the lawsuit states.
BHUSD has had nearly two years to make amends since Garratt filed a tort claim in 2024 over her wrongful termination, DeSimone said. The district never responded, forcing the lawsuit. This is the first time Garrett will speak about her termination.

Garratt retired from full-time teaching after 30 years in the district, including 15 at BHHS, but remained active in the district as a valued substitute and volunteered her time as the faculty facilitator for the school’s Interact Club, emphasizing service to the community. She continues to work with the school’s Rotary International-affiliated student service club despite her termination.

Two years ago she was hired by the school as a substitute teacher for one month, starting on Nov. 4, 2024, to prepare students for the AP U.S. History exam. Garratt, who earned her Master’s in Government from Harvard in 1979 after graduating Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA, has received numerous honors and teaching awards during her career as an educator.

“For more than 30 years, Ms. Garratt taught her students that the Constitution matters and that our rights have meaning,” DeSimone said. “Beverly Hills Unified School District punished her for that expression and, ultimately, its students were punished as they lost a dedicated AP History Teacher at a critical time in their education.”

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Los Angeles civil rights attorney V. James DeSimone has dedicated his 40-year law career to providing vigorous and ethical representation to achieve justice for those whose civil and constitutional rights are violated.

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