ATLANTA - Two retired U.S. Army officers filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against Atlanta Public Schools alleging sex discrimination and unlawful retaliation.
What we know:
First Sgt. (Ret.) Dave W. O’Garro and Capt. (Ret.) Maurice Bonner filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on Aug. 24.
The lawsuit names the Atlanta Independent School System, doing business as Atlanta Public Schools, alongside South Atlanta High School Principal Phillip Braziel, Director of Army Instruction Mona Venning, and Deputy Director James Harris.
Both men served as JROTC instructors at South Atlanta High School.
According to the complaint, district administrators subjected them to a harsher disciplinary standard than their female colleague.
The lawsuit claims officials shielded the female colleague from consequences for documented policy violations and false arms-room inventory logs while disciplining her male counterparts.
The backstory:
After O'Garro and Bonner raised internal complaints and filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, district officials launched a retaliatory campaign, the suit claims.
The lawsuit alleges district officials used the U.S. Army Cadet Command to trigger the revocation of the instructors' JROTC certifications using biased findings.
Bonner alleges the district included a letter with a forged signature block from a former principal in his decertification packet.
An independent district tribunal examined charges against O'Garro in March and cleared him of wrongdoing, a decision the school board adopted in May.
Despite renewing both employment contracts for the 2026–27 school year, administrators placed both men on administrative leave on July 15, banned them from district property, and hired replacement instructors.
The plaintiffs seek back pay, damages, and full reinstatement.
What they're saying:
District officials released a statement regarding the active federal complaint:
"Atlanta Public Schools cannot comment on the specifics of active complaints or pending litigation. However, we want to clarify that the employees referenced in the report remain employed by Atlanta Public Schools.
APS is committed to maintaining a professional, equitable and respectful workplace for all employees and ensuring that our students have instructors who are fully qualified and certified. The district takes allegations of discrimination and retaliation seriously and follows established processes for reviewing and addressing such concerns."
What we don't know:
It remains unclear whether the U.S. Army will review the JROTC certification status of the instructors following the federal filing.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, as well as an official statement from Atlanta Public Schools.