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Palmdale charter school settles sex discrimination lawsuit

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Founded by Muslim community leaders in 2001, Guidance Charter School was shutdown by the Palmdale School District last year. [File]
PALMDALE – The now-defunct Guidance Charter School in Palmdale will pay $8,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency announced Thursday.

Guidance Charter School was determined to have paid a female math tutor a lower hourly rate than her male counterpart despite their jobs being the same, according to the EEOC. The agency said the employee complained of the unequal pay and the school failed to address the pay discrepancy.

Such conduct violates the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the EEOC, which filed the suit in Los Angeles federal court after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation agreement through its conciliation process.

“We continue to see pay disparity between men and women in all different industries,” said Anna Park, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles district office. “We encourage employers to evaluate their pay structure to ensure gender equity in pay.”

According to the California Department of Education’s website, Guidance Charter School has been closed since June 30, 2018.

The school was founded in 2001 by Muslim community leader Kamal Al-Khatib, who promised a non-religious educational program that would include Arabic language classes.

In January 2018, the Palmdale School District voted to close Guidance Charter School, citing questionable financial practices and poor academic performance.

The shutdown came as Guidance Charter school was constructing an 87,000-square-foot campus on Avenue R and 40th Street East, paid for with nearly $30 million in tax-free bonds, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. [Read the Los Angeles Times story here.]

Previous related story: Feds sue Palmdale charter school for alleged pay discrimination

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66 comments for "Palmdale charter school settles sex discrimination lawsuit"

  1. Raymond Lee Jennings did indeed overcome the vile campaign launched against him by Rex Parris. Parris intended to destroy his name and was almost successful. By the grace of God and the work of honest law enforcement personnel, the truth came to light. We can only hope the lives of Randy Floyd, Esmeralda Jorge, Johnathan Ervin, and James Ledford overcome the attacks laid upon them by the Antelope Valley’s character destroyer.

    • Your ignorance is appalling! You keep re-victimizing these people by bringing up their names. What is your real name?

      • Your support for Rex and his actions is more appalling! There is nothing he wants more than for his history of ruining people to be gone and forgotten. Never. He needs to be called out for what he has done to ruin people. What is my real name? What is your real name. What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.

        • I was one of the very few that didn’t vote for Rex. It is appalling that you and several others won’t leave this man alone to carry on with his life, and handle things the way he and his family choose to do. screen names that take it upon themselves to interfere in other peoples lives, using a public forum. Call Rex out all you want, but you disrespect Mr. Jennings by continually bringing him up on a public forum. Self-serving jerk.

        • Rex Parris did not ruin, I repeat, did not ruin Mr. Jennings life! Mr. Jennings is a Christian, and is in God’s hands. You choose to keep calling him a victim, when he is a survivor. Every time you mention his name since 2016, you cause pain by not letting him move forward in his life, because it is in your mind to use a public forum to give Rex Parris power over him. Rex does not have power over Mr. Jennings!

          • If you really cared about Raymond Jennings, you would have realized that it took an FBI profiler, lousy defense, and bumbling prosecutors, who also played a big role in Mr. Jennings wrongful conviction. But your self-serving agenda to only call out a corrupt mayor, says it’s more about your hatred for Rex than your fake compassion for Mr. Jennings. Phony.

          • Rex tried to ruin Jennings life. That is obvious. He failed. What Rex meant for evil God turned into good.

          • Raymond Jennings and his family are moving forward on the path God has for them. All of the commenters here want nothing more than to try to hold him back by continuing to re-victimize him year after year. Forgiveness is what Jesus teaches. A true Christian understands “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is obvious you cannot move forward, But Mr. Jennings will continue to move forward, by not allowing Rex Parris to have power over him and his family.

        • No where does this commenter say he/she is a Rex supporter. You are not an honest person.

        • R. Montague…What’s in a name? apparently a lot, as long as it’s not your name to toss around freely by everyone else but you.

          • A name is all a person has. Rex has worked long and hard to tarnish the good names of many people in the Antelope Valley. Someday, his deeds will be exposed and his already sketchy name will be lower than it already is.

  2. There are good charter schools and bad ones. What makes one good and another bad? The intentions of the people who founded and run it.

    — If a charter school is founded with the involvement of educators, principals, and parents, it is usually a good school.

    — If the charter school operates as a non-profit, it is usually a good school.

    — If the charter school is meeting state expectations with regard to scores, or making efforts to improve those scores, it is a good school.

    — If the charter school is providing a wide scope of educational opportunities for all students (Spec. Ed, gifted, etc.)

    — If the charter school provides it’s teachers with good pay rates and benefits, it is usually a good school.

    Now, what makes a charter school “bad” are:

    — If the school is founded and run by non-educators.

    — If the bottom line has to do with making a profit.

    — If the needs of the teachers and staff are neglected.

    — If students grades and test scores are not up to par and and no remedial effort is made.

    — If the school ignores the need for a wide scope of services (Spec. Ed, gifted, etc.)

  3. As someone who has over 30 years of experience in public schools, who has actually read GCS-1 AND GCS-2 charters that were submitted to AVUHSD, LACOE, and the State of California, this charter school had NO BUSINESS being in business. If you doubt me, read the LACOE analysis of the GCS-2 and even the AVUHSD review of GCS-1.

    I have no idea how this charter was even considered to be sound by PSD when it was first presented. The charter was incomplete, has a serious lack of details about English Learners, Special Education, outcomes and governance. Apparently, PSD came to its senses after Galizi left, which speaks volumes, in my opinion. I don’t know about the political ramification of denying or accepting the charter, but on the face of the charter itself, this school should not have existed.

    And by the way, the Executive Director of GCS was scheduled to make $218,318 TO START (salary increases would come later), which is 62% higher that most school superintendents. This is the man that would mandate one of the ladies working in the school to bring him tea every morning, and God help her if she was out for the day. This was not a school. This was a status symbol.

  4. I will retype my response that was removed. I have not talked to Rex in over 20 years. Roger needs to check his facts and stop making excuses for the person that is really at fault for the failure of GCS. I don’t know why my first response was deleted and the person that responded after me was also deleted.

    Roger brought me into this conversation and then some how I was deleted and his post stayed. Can someone please troll me how that happened?

    • Nancy has a good network to communicate with her Lancaster political supporters without ever speaking to Rex.

      • Again check your facts Roger. You are totally fabricating this relationship with Rex to try and sell false information.

      • Jim Vose is Nancy Smiths connection to whatever the Lancaster brokers want and now that the local Republicans are in bed with the teachers union we need to understand that its all about control. The Republican Nancy Smith is also a union supporter as her children are teachers as well and that is why she supported raises for the teachers even when the PSD board was told they didn’t have the money to cover it. the fabricating going on here is Nancy Smith.

        • Now you’re naming two people in your smear campaign. Also, now you’re saying that the “local Republicans” are in bed with the teachers union. Does that mean Jim Ledford was part of the so called fabricating going on? Never mind, Roger, You’re the one doing the name dropping. Shame on you for not going through the proper channels. Never mind, you have no facts, or you wouldn’t be commenting on here.

          • I know Jim Ledford was part of this as well as other Republicans. It seems to have worked. As for facts the budget has all the facts anybody would ever need to support what I’m saying.

          • What’s your full name Roger G.? You’re using full names to try to ruin them with false information (zero facts). I want your full name so I can check out your Bio., and gather facts.

          • Who are the proper channels to report the likes of Nancy Smith as she controls the PSD superintendent and staff. She is the real superintendent just ask Raul.

    • I think someone wants to ruin someone else by mentioning Rex. A sneaky underhanded way is to use a public forum to try to turn people against a person, just by using the name Rex. Facts be damned to some people that only need to hear the name Rex, and they are automatically an enemy to you. Shame on you Roger G.! I’ve done my homework and know why you have revenge in your heart.

      • If you don’t think Rex has his tentacles into every school board, city council, water board, air board, or whatever board in the Valley you are either naive, uniformed, or completely ignorant.

        • On the other hand “School Bored,” when a commenter accuses someone (NS), of unethical behavior without facts to back up his words, anyone that would believe his words because he uses the name Rex, is not only completely ignorant, but downright stupid.

        • I’m just not willing to believe Roger G., and his accusations condemning Nancy Smith, just because he mentions Rex.

          • Accusations without facts is how Rex rolls and most of his targets will endure a lot of factless hyperbole. That said it’s not facts that Raymond is interested in as his game is shock and awe and public ruination.

  5. This is pocket money for the Guidance Charter. Soon, this underachieving charter will open its doors, thanks to the big kind heart of the AVUHSD board president. AV Times, AV Press or any other local news, start investigating who funded these new board members’ candidacy and you’ll find the Guidance Charter managed to get their hands in the cookie jar. Want to vomit in disgust? Go watch the AVUHSD board meetings, they’ve become a 3 ring circus. It’s time the community recalls these clowns, before it’s too late and our kids lose out. REPULSIVE!

    • I’m no fan of this school, but there were several other schools in the AV that performed worse. It was closed on politics and prejudice.

      • They closed the school based on comparison of other Palmdale School District scores. Palmdale School District is where their funds came from. The lowest scores were about equal and even higher than this school. When this is the case, of course you shut down a charter school that sucks funds from public schools. The difference is huge, they don’t provide special education the same way, or title 1 funding, etc. After they presented their scores to the district, Palmdale school district said the scores were not good. THEN, the founder said that they “mistakenly” entered the wrong scores and wanted to submit higher scores he claimed the school achieved. The head of this school plays victim and tried to blame a female worker for entering the wrong stats, i call BS on this guy!

        • They closed the school because the owner was a political enemy of Rex. Also, Rex does not like middle eastern folk. There are worse schools in the AV but this one was in Rex’s crosshairs.

          Warning to all – don’t mess with Rex. He will ruin you.

          • He is not a political enemy of Rex. Teacher, you have no idea what you’re talking about.

          • Are you for read D’Arcy? Rex hates Guidance. It is run by Muslims. Rex is dyed in the wool Islamophobe.

  6. Its rapidly becoming a toss up in California whether you become a liberal bastion of illegals or ragheads state.

  7. “In January 2018, the Palmdale School District voted to close Guidance Charter School, citing questionable financial practices and poor academic performance.”

    In other words, it was a waste of money and a waste of time.

    • Palmdale School District is broke financially and went after the Charter School students as they represent a financial benefit. By denying the Charter they denied choice to the parents and students. Palmdale School District also provides a letter saying the school was in good standing and supported the 30 million in tax free bonds. Maybe the game is not only new students but now they also get a new school for pennies on the dollar. Bad faith is Palmdale School District mode of operation.

      • Is this roger greeeeezy, former shamed Palmdale school District superintendent? If it is maybe we should bring up your DIRTY severance package, and how Palmdale School District employees hate you…yes HATE you. Palmdale School District is not broke, but you near bankrupted them with your corrupt posse. Now we all have raises. I’m sure your work in Nevada will result in the same disaster!

        “PSD Superintendent resigns, $332K payout”…..The resignation agreement also holds Gallizzi harmless “from any and all claims and liabilities, arising on or before the Resignation Date, from or otherwise related to employment activities…” [Read the entire agreement here.]

        one of these horrible agreements was The GUIDANCE CHARTER SCHOOL! Of course roger can’t be held liable for his mess as per his messy agreement his poopie possy helped draft.

        • Accusations without facts is how Rex rolls and most of his targets will endure a lot of factless hyperbole. That said it’s not facts that Raymond is interested in as his game is shock and awe and public ruination.

          • Accusations without facts is Rex’s legacy.
            Remember Raymond Lee Jennings. Randy Floyd. Esmeralda Jorge. Johnathan Ervin.
            We will not forget them.

          • JPB…You keep bringing up Raymond Lee Jennings, and I would like you to stop please. It is between God and Raymond Lee Jennings, because he is a Christian. The others I don’t know about, but it’s NOT your business how they handle their lives when it comes to Rex Parris.

          • Raymond Lee Jennings, like most of Wrecks’ victims, was not given much choice about how to “handle his life in regards to Rex Parris.”

          • Stop, I will never stop bringing the filthy slime of R. Rex Parris to the light. He personally destroyed the lives and careers of Raymond Lee Jennings, Randy Floyd, Esmeralda Jorge, Johnathan Ervin, and is trying to to the same to James Ledford. In the meantime, he lives in luxury in his multi-million dollar estate in Laguna while his victims have had their names and reputations ruined.

            May God bless Raymond Lee Jennings and all of Rex’s victims.

          • Every time you call Mr. Jennings a victim, you are re-victimizing him, again, and again. He will put what needs to be done in his life, in God’s hands, not yours. In your ignorance, you take it upon yourselves to post names to further your agenda.

          • Raymond Jennings is an overcomer, not a victim! Unfortunately when a name becomes public, there are the idiots that will use that name without permission to define that name as a victim.

    • No Charter school should be opened on the dime of public school funds.

      If you don’t like public schools, and want to send want to send your kids to a Charter school, then how about you start paying for your kids education out of your own pocket? Why are we diverting public school funds to pay for these for profit (charter) schools?

      If you’re a public school teacher, and you keep voting for the God loving family values hypocrite republicans, that are trying to privatize all our government funded programs ( public schools )….you’re part of the problem.

      The teachers union, should kick out any public school teacher, out of the union, if they keep voting republican.

      Just saying.

      • Not all charter schools are bad and many people that work for them vote Democratic and are very progressive-minded. In fact, some of the most progressive-minded people I know are charter school teachers. Some of the most right-wing and backwards teachers I know are union members.

        Also, President Obama was a supporter of Charter Schools, as was former State Superintendent of Public Education Tom Torlakson. Our current California Governor, Gavin Newsom, worked with many charter schools as mayor of San Francisco.

        Many of the better charter schools in California provide their teachers with good benefits and a lot of them are non-profit.

        I only ask that you do some more research and educate yourself before making broad statements.

  8. “Palmdale charter school settles sex discrimination lawsuit”, it is obvious to anyone with a brain this means gender discrimination.

  9. Shocked that Rex didn’t lead the charge on this one. He’s not a big fan of Muslims. Remember how he supported Sherry Marquez when she was spouting her Islamophobic garbage on Facebook. Or how he freaked out about a dead Muslim terrorist being buried in Rosamond. Seriously, he went berzerk over a DEAD person.

    Then again, Rex has a long record of supporting homophobes/anti Semites like Stan Muhammad. We also can’t forget Rex’s racist hit mailers against African American Johnathan Ervin when he called him a Gang Candidate.

      • I have not talked to Rex in over 20 years. Just more blather. You Roger need to check your facts and stop trying to blame everyone but the person that is to blame for this situation.

        • Nancy has DUI Drew to communicate through and that circle is well connected and working together to control all the politics, especially the teachers union. What Palmdale did to that school was disgraceful and they should be ashamed after 17 years they never said a peep. They have given the farm away to the teachers and that is why they are broke. Of course they have bond money to put lipstick on a pig yet they are short on operational money for our children. Shameful test scores and you broke the Palmdale promise. We are watching!

    • That dead muslim doesn’t deserve to be buried in the USA! He hated America and his dead body was given to the guidance charter school head. Terrorist don’t deserve rights, in life or death.

      • He was an American citizen, dolt. Where do you think his corpse should have been exported to?

      • ponch…what about Stephen Paddock? Where do you think his dead body should be buried?

      • Another ignorant comment from one of the AV’s finest. Rex wanted them thrown in the dump. What a nice Christian response, right? For your information, the dead terrorist was an American citizen. You can be a Muslim and an American. What a concept! Would you have preferred the bodies be buried in San Bernardino where the crime was committed? How dumb would that be. Instead, they were buried in Rosamond, which is pretty much the middle of no where.

      • Stan is a Muslim. One that Rex can control. If Rex can control you he has no issue with your religious ideology or your ethnicity. A perfect example is how Rex used racist campaign literature to attack Johnathan Ervin, a black man. But Henry Hearns, also a black man, is a Rex puppet.

        With Rex it is all about control.

  10. There is nothing “deceiving” about it! You paid male tutors more money than female tutors. You committed discrimination on the basis of someone’s sex. That is illegal and intolerable, and there is no excuse for it.

    If you don’t want to play by the rules, then you should consider leaving the Antelope Valley, the State of California and possibly even the United States of America!

  12. >In addition to monetary relief, Guidance Charter School will review and revise its policies and procedures, as necessary, regarding compliance with the EPA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; implement training to all employees regarding equal pay practices, sex discrimination, and retaliation; develop a centralized tracking system for policy dissemination and discrimination, unequal pay, or retaliation complaints; and submit annual reports to the EEOC verifying compliance with the decree.

    Well, since the charter school is dead, this is a moot point. But $8,000. Wow. Yeah, that’ll teach them a lesson. That’s like $200 after legal fees.