Two longtime Seattle Public Schools employees have filed a lawsuit claiming they were forced out of their jobs after repeated retaliation and harassment by the district’s director of culinary services, according to a complaint filed in King County Superior Court.
The suit, filed Tuesday, names the district and Aaron Smith, the Culinary Services director, as defendants.
Plaintiffs Emme Ribeiro Collins, the district’s executive chef from 2019 to 2023, and Helen Jones, operations manager in culinary services from 1998 to 2023, allege that Smith targeted them after they raised concerns about his behavior and management practices.
Collins claims that Smith pressured her to drink alcohol at a district-related trip in California in 2022 and then retaliated after she confronted him about his behavior.
She alleges she was removed from promotion opportunities, excluded from projects, and had her work credited to others.
According to the complaint, Smith reassigned her duties while she was on medical leave, closed food services she managed without consultation, and excluded her from procedural updates critical to her job.
Collins says she filed a formal retaliation claim in November 2022, but continued to face hostility until she resigned in May 2023.
An internal HR report completed more than a year later corroborated elements of her complaints, the lawsuit states.
Jones, who worked for the district for 24 years, alleges she too was subjected to retaliation and bullying after refusing to provide negative comments about another employee at Smith’s request in 2021.
She contends Smith ignored her emails, stripped her of responsibilities, and assigned her tasks outside her role without support.
Jones filed her own retaliation claim in December 2022 after securing an ADA accommodation to work from home part-time.
She alleges Smith altered her work schedule in ways that undermined that agreement and gave her a negative performance plan after she returned from medical leave.
She resigned in May 2023, citing a hostile environment.
The plaintiffs accuse Seattle Public Schools of failing to protect them from retaliation, harassment, and discrimination.
The complaint lists nine causes of action, including retaliation under Title VII, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Washington Family Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Washington Law Against Discrimination.
The lawsuit also includes claims of negligent supervision, negligent retention, and constructive discharge.
The women are seeking damages, attorneys’ fees, and a jury trial.
KIRO 7 News has reached out to Seattle Public Schools for comment.
©2025 Cox Media Group
