Christie Tran files suit against North Thurston Public Schools

Former NTPS teacher who supported students during 2022 protests sues district for retaliation

Reprinted from the The Olympian (Feb. 07, 2025)
By Rolf Boone

A North Thurston Public Schools teacher who supported students during protests in early 2022 has filed a lawsuit against the district, claiming district officials retaliated against her for her stance.

Christie Tran’s lawsuit was filed in Thurston County Superior Court Thursday citing the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

The legal steps follow on the heels of a tort claim filed against the district about 60 days ago. Tran’s concerns also came before the Washington state Human Rights Commission, which concluded in late 2024 that the district had “unlawfully retaliated against Ms. Tran, but the commission does not have the authority to force NTPS to enact meaningful change,” the lawsuit reads.

“I’m just looking for some real change to happen so that no other students and teachers experience what we’ve had to experience, and to be treated with some dignity and have our concerns served by the district,” said Tran in a Zoom interview accompanied by her Seattle-based attorney Jay Free on Thursday.

The district had little to say about the matter.

“We don’t comment on active litigation,” district spokeswoman Amy Blondin said.

According to the lawsuit:

Tran began teaching visual arts at River Ridge High School in 2012 and later grew concerned about the district’s ability to provide a safe and secure learning environment for students.

“For example, NTPS failed to investigate, record, or log students’ sexual harassment complaints,” the suit reads. “NTPS also refused to discipline male students for groping female students. And they created an environment where minority students felt unsafe and under attack. So, in 2022, hundreds of high school students walked out and went on strike to protest widespread race and sex discrimination at NTPS.”

Those protests took place at North Thurston and River Ridge high schools in late January and early February 2022.

Tran, who also worked as a student adviser with the River Ridge Black Student Union, said she was on hand during the protests to make sure students were safe. She also continued to press the district about discrimination concerns.

“Because Ms. Tran was a public face associated with the protest, the district blamed her for this student-led protest and the related media coverage,” the lawsuit reads. “They accused her of being a ‘cult’ leader. They said she manipulated students. They dragged her through the mud. They wanted to silence her and make an example. But Ms. Tran’s actions were legally protected. Coaching and supporting students opposing discrimination is the precise type of opposition activity protected by the Washington Law Against Discrimination.”

After the protests, Tran was placed on administrative leave for about eight months, during which time the district conducted what she calls a “sham investigation” of her purported misconduct, including the alleged misappropriation of ASB funds.

She called the allegation completely false, according to the lawsuit.

When she returned to work, she said she was transferred and demoted to an elementary school reading room position.

“Every day that she reported to work, she felt sick to her stomach,” the lawsuit reads. “She had been accused of misconduct and shuffled to the side. She could not take it. After taking intermittent medical leave at various times due to the district’s mistreatment, in May 2023 she resigned due to the district’s retaliation.”

Tran said Thursday she continues to teach in other districts.

“I am still teaching as a substitute,” she said, “but it’s been really difficult with the amount of retaliation that I experienced from the district. It’s made it very, very hard to move forward in this profession.”

Attorney Free added that they seek to learn more about what district officials have been saying about her as she looks for work. “So part of what we will be exploring in discovery has been what North Thurston has been telling these other school districts and these other educators about Christie, as we believe they continue to retaliate against her today, and our hope is the discovery will explore that,” he said.

Tran said teachers should be able to protect and stand with their students.

“I’ve dedicated my career to being not only an excellent educator, but a strong advocate for students rights, and to face this relentless retaliation has just been devastating,” she said. “No teacher should have to decide between protecting students and moving forward in their career.”