Ofa Taimani, a former instructional vice principal secretary, filed a tort claim against the District on Tuesday. The claim alleges discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination and seeks a minimum of $70,000 for both economic and emotional damages. This claim is now the eighth ongoing lawsuit against the District.
Taimani, who spent 10 years at M-A and three years at Sequoia High School, was terminated without benefits by the District on March 31, 2025. At the time she was still on leave for a work-related injury. Her termination came almost two years after being accused of mishandling an arrested student’s independent education plan (IEP) without parental consent in April 2023.
She is the second M-A employee, alongside former basketball coach Mike Molieri, to be accused of violating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and student privacy laws. Molieri also filed a tort claim against the District this past April.
Taimani denies the District’s accusations. She instead claims she was targeted by the District for her relationship with Molieri—who is also her godfather—and advocacy for him at board meetings. Additionally, she claims to have been targeted for being a woman of color.
The tort claim also alleges that two M-A administrators leaked the same students’ IEP without consent, violating student privacy laws.
“The two M-A administrators that were involved in that case were white, and not one of them was accused of or investigated for mishandling [the student’s] files,” Taimani said. “Then, out of nowhere, I get accused of it, and it’s a quick investigation.”
Taimani was interviewed by former District Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Todd Beal about the IEP mishandling accusations on November 17, 2023. That meeting, according to Taimani, drove her to experience panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.
“I forgot to breathe, I thought it was a heart attack,” she said.
Taimani continued to experience panic attacks and mental health issues, causing her to go on a work-related injury leave in November 2023. Upon returning in April 2024, Taimani was moved to the attendance office for the remainder of the school year.
The District followed up with an investigation into the accusations, concluding in June 2024 that Taimani was responsible for the leaked IEP files. Taimani appealed the decision, asserting during public comment at the August 2024 board meeting that there was never a written complaint documenting the accusations. The Board did not overturn the investigation.
That August, Taimani was moved again, this time to the counseling department, where she shared an office with a 504 coordinator. This meant she frequently had to vacate the space during 504 meetings with students and or parents.
Taimani claims she was also tasked with assisting the 504 coordinators, despite not receiving any formal training in the area, even after allegedly requesting it.
Her mental health and panic attacks continued to intensify, causing her to go on another work-related injury leave in September 2024. While still on leave, Taimani received a letter from the District alerting her she had been placed on the 39-month medical rehire list without pay nor benefits, leaving her without health insurance to treat her various mental health struggles.
“I have never heard of anyone getting off that list,” she said. “Being on that list doesn’t mean anything, I was fired.”
“I lost everything. I worked so hard to be the best, healthy version that I can be. But it almost felt like I was at square one,” Taimani added.
The M-A Chronicle reached out to the District for comment but did not receive a response in time for the publication of this article.
