ALEXANDRIA, La. – A former teacher at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts has sued the high school and a group of administrators, making a slew of allegations against them, including harassment and retaliation.
Plaintiff Dr. Olaseni “Seni” Fadipe filed his lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Alexandria Division.
According to his filing, Fadipe, who currently resides in Colorado, was employed by LSMSA from January 2019 through June 2025, teaching advanced mathematics and sponsoring various student organizations.
Located in Natchitoches, LSMSA is a public residential high school on the campus of Northwestern State University. It boasts competitive admissions for “high-achieving, highly-motivated” sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
“This is a civil action arising from a coordinated pattern of harassment, retaliation, sex-based discrimination, and constructive discharge directed at Plaintiff, a tenured mathematics instructor, by the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (‘LSMSA’) and its senior administrators, together with the Defendants’ failure to provide Plaintiff the continuation-of-coverage (‘COBRA’) notice to which he was entitled upon separation,” his 11-page complaint states.
The other defendants named in the lawsuit include: Steve Horton, former LSMSA executive director; Jason Anderson, former LSMSA principal and now executive director as of July 1, 2026; Sheila Kidd, human resources director; and Anne Lucas, a member of the administrative/human resources support staff at LSMSA.
In his lawsuit, Fadipe accuses LSMSA and the administrators of denying a continuation-of-coverage notice, retaliation, sex discrimination, creating a hostile work environment, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent and bad-faith employment practices, violating Louisiana whistleblower laws, and constructive discharge.
Constructive discharge, in legal terms, refers to an employee's resignation being treated as if they were fired, even though they technically quit. This happens when an employer creates working conditions so intolerable that a reasonable person would feel compelled to resign.
According to the complaint, Anderson delivered a coercive demand letter to Fadipe’s then-spouse, also an LSMSA employee, in the spring of 2024.
“The demand letter and the harassment directed at Plaintiff’s spouse were motivated by unlawful discriminatory animus and constituted conduct prohibited by Louisiana law,” the filing states.
After the incident, Fadipe alleges Kidd informed Horton that he “would not return because his wife had been harassed.” Fadipe contends the comment marked him as an employee “adverse to the administration” and “set into motion” the school’s retaliation.
Later that spring, Fadipe claims Kidd personally assisted his spouse in moving out of their home, which, he argues, is an “intrusion into Plaintiff’s private affairs” outside of LSMSA’s human resources function.
“After Plaintiff declined to cooperate with or endorse this conduct, the administration’s treatment of Plaintiff shifted markedly from supportive to hostile,” he alleges in his lawsuit.
He alleges the administration removed “key courses” he had developed and taught, including financial literacy and modern algebra.
“These actions were taken to marginalize Plaintiff, diminish his professional standing, and destabilize his position at LSMSA,” the lawsuit states.
Fadipe alleges in February 2025 he informed Anderson that he was “uncomfortable” returning in the fall, due to working in close proximity to his ex-spouse.
Anderson allegedly initially suggested placing Fadipe and his ex-spouse in different buildings and then, during a Microsoft Teams meeting on Feb. 19, 2025, stated he would direct the math department chair to prepare for Fadipe’s replacement in the fall.
Then, on Feb. 26, 2025, Anderson instructed Fadipe to resign.
“Under the duress created by Defendants’ conduct, and while suffering significant stress, Plaintiff submitted a resignation that same evening,” the lawsuit states.
“The resignation was not voluntary; it was the product of coercion and a workplace that Defendants had rendered intolerable.”
When Fadipe returned to the school to perform his summer duties in June 2025, he alleges LSMSA “abruptly” demanded he surrender any school-issued equipment and that he leave campus immediately.
In July 2025, Fadipe alleges he contacted the Office of Group Benefits to inquire about his COBRA coverage, but was told his employer was responsible for initiating the notice.
On July 7, 2025, he alleges he provided his updated Colorado mailing address by email to Lucas, who acknowledged receiving it on July 14, 2025. After which, Fadipe contends he never received a written continuation-coverage election notice.
“As a direct result, Plaintiff was deprived of his right to elect continuation coverage and of the information necessary to do so, and has suffered uncertainty regarding his coverage status and resulting harm,” the complaint states.
In addition, he alleges the school refused to provide him with W-2 wage and tax statement for the applicable tax year.
“As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ conduct, Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer lost wages and benefits, loss of professional standing and career opportunity, emotional distress, mental anguish, and other damages,” the lawsuit states.
“Plaintiff remained unemployed for an extended period following his constructive discharge, and the circumstances of his separation, including inquiries by prospective employers concerning whether he was asked to resign, continue to impair his employability.”
Fadipe seeks back pay, front pay, lost benefits, compensatory damages, relief for the denial of continuation-coverage notice, a “neutral employment reference,” interest, and attorneys’ fees.
Attorneys Donald C. Hodge Jr. and Brandy Mai are representing him in the lawsuit.
