Civil Rights Department Secures $150K Settlement with Vallejo Unified over Telework Denial
SACRAMENTO — The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) announced a settlement with the Vallejo City Unified School District on September 23 resolving an employee's disability discrimination complaint over the effective denial of a request for telework as a reasonable accommodation. Under the settlement, the district will pay $150,000 in compensation, grant the employee's telework request, and take other steps to protect the rights of district employees in the future.
CRD received the complaint last year. According to the complaint, the district simply ignored the request even though the employee submitted a doctor's note and made multiple attempts to have it considered; the worker had previously been permitted to work remotely and the position did not require in-person interaction with students. California law requires employers to engage in good faith with employees with disabilities on reasonable requests for changes that can enable them to keep working.
"When someone asks for an accommodation, employers have to pay attention," said CRD Director Kevin Kish. "Every worker is entitled to a meaningful opportunity to discuss with their employer ways to help them stay on the job regardless of disability." (GSM, from a CRD press release, Sept. 23)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：在家远程办公（示意图，来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0）。
