Dive Brief:

• On Thursday, Rafe Esquith, a well-known Los Angeles teacher, filed a class-action lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District, saying it intentionally pushed out older teachers to save money on retirement benefits.
• Esquith has been under investigation, with the L.A. school board reportedly voting to fire him for misconduct last week.
• His lawsuit demands $1 billion in damages and an end to the practices that he alleges ended his career and the careers of other older teachers.

Dive Insight:

Los Angeles isn't the first to come under fire for the alleged practice. In Denver, a group of teachers sued over the district’s teacher evaluation system, saying it was used to push out older — and thus more expensive — teachers. In New York, the union and school district spent years in battles over “rubber rooms,” where teachers without a position or who had been accused of misconduct could spend months or years. Esquith’s suit is one of the most high-profile, however, and could force Los Angeles and elsewhere to reexamine practices if successful.

Esquith is best known for bringing Shakespeare and other classical works to primarily low-income and immigrant classrooms. He has received a slew of awards, as well as messages of support from actors like Sir Ian McKellan. Earlier this year, he filed suit to seek reinstatement; but the latest suit takes a different tack. It takes on, in particular, the question of “teacher jails,” where teachers under investigation spend time either at home or in a district office awaiting the results. Esquith’s lawyer said the investigations are often “witch hunts,” where "an investigative hit squad that goes out and intimidates and tries to extract statements from students that they then can use for kangaroo court-type proceedings.”