A former Beverly Hills High School (BHHS) teacher and a current BHHS teacher have filed a lawsuit against the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) alleging racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on April 25 by Natonda “Bella” Ivory and Jarvis Turner. Both plaintiffs are Black.
“Schools ought to be teaching tolerance and equality,” Bradley Gage, the attorney representing Ivory and Turner, told the Courier, “not tolerating prejudice and inequality.”
According to the complaint, Turner, who worked as a basketball coach and Sports Marketing/Business and Finance teacher beginning in 2010, first alerted district officials to his concern about discrimination when a student made a racist social media post in 2018.
The following year, he received an email to his school account calling him a “n—–.” After receiving a “nonchalant” response from his supervisor, former BHUSD Executive Director of Athletics Tim Ellis, Turner filed a police report with the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD).
Turner also claims in the complaint that he received calls from students on his cell phone using “racial epithets” and in-person verbal mistreatment from parents who used “derogatory racial stereotypes,” and that the police were called on him when he was in the gym coaching the basketball team.
Ivory, who worked at the school from 2020 until 2025, alleges in the suit that after starting her tenure at BHHS as an Introduction to Fashion instructor and co-teacher of costume design, she was subject to ongoing discrimination and harassment.
In February 2022, after a cafeteria employee allegedly cursed at her and refused to serve her, then-Assistant Principal Torray Johnson told Ivory that because of her race, she “needed to be quiet, meek, passive, and compliant with white counterparts,” according to the complaint.
The situation escalated throughout 2023 and 2024 and reached a climax on Nov. 5, 2024. According to the complaint, a group of students celebrating the election of President Trump marched to Ivory’s classroom chanting “f— Kamala” and banged on the door, where Ivory was meeting with members of the Black Student Union.
According to the suit, teachers, security guards, the principal and the vice principal watched the situation unfold and did not intervene. Ivory was later told by BHHS Principal Drew Stewart that the students’ actions were protected by the First Amendment, which is why they were not asked to disperse.
The suit further claims that in February 2025, a BHHS student announced to a classroom that she hated Ivory and wanted to stab her, and no action was taken by district officials.
Ivory resigned this spring.
Representatives from BHUSD declined to comment on the case.
The district is also facing another, separate lawsuit filed in January 2024 by Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Laura Collins-Williams, who is still employed by the district. The complaint alleges that Collins-Williams, who is Black, was discriminated against for her race, age and gender, and that she faced a hostile work environment as well as retaliation.
On April 21, attorneys for Collins-Williams were granted a motion to compel the attendance of former BHUSD Superintendent Michael Bregy at his continued deposition, answers to deposition questions and the production of documents.
“The judge saw what we saw,” Anita Edwards, an attorney for Collins-Williams, told the Courier. “That they didn’t do what they were supposed to do in producing documents. I’m happy we are able to move forward and get the rest of the information we need to pursue our case.”
An attorney representing BHUSD in the Collins-Williams case did not respond to requests for comment.
Collins-Williams’ lawsuit was recently given a trial date of May 26, 2026.
