Former schoolteacher, Audrey Dudek, strongly believes that her choice in music, friends, and who she dated (and eventually married) all add up to why she was fired from her job in 2013.
She is a former math teacher at Edgewater High school in Orange County, Fla., according to The Root.
The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, and school officials were "shocked and offended" after learning the details of the lawsuit. Stacey Cobb, Audrey Dudek's now husband, is black and Cobb claims that because of that and her socializing with other black faculty members, she was fired.
The attorney, Suzanne Tzuanos, told the news station WESH, "This isn't about sending a message. This is about getting justice for a teacher that was terminated unlawfully."
The lawsuit also suggests that some of the faculty didn't like that Dudek played "black music" for her students. In addition there are claims that during her tenure the white faculty members performed a racially charged skit where they had "baggy clothing, black faces, gold teeth, and afro wigs."
Dudek believes that her performance evaluations were not up to par. However, Swurvradio says the school district informed the news station that the reason her contract wasn't renewed was based on budget cuts.
The school district won't comment any further after they "denied all allegations of discrimination by Ms. Dudek."
Tuzanos explained to WESH, "The budget didn't go down in that period of time. Ms. Dudek is a math teacher. There's a critical need for math teachers at Orange County Public Schools, so the district's explanation does not hold water."
Florida Commission on Human Rights has investigated Dudek's claims and found several reason to believe Dudek was "treated differently based on her gender and race association, saying, "Dudek is still seeking "unspecified damages for pain, suffering and loss of dignity."
