Nearly a year after protests broke out at Westlake High School [WHS] against the district’s alleged mishandling of sexual assault reports, a WHS teacher is suing the Conejo Valley Unified School District [CVUSD] for whistleblower retaliation, political speech retaliation and retaliation in violation of California Education Code 221.1, which are anti-discrimination laws.
In early 2025, Lauren Zasadil, WHS history teacher, began sharing her concerns about the Title IX investigation process at CVUSD, speaking at school board meetings during public comments to inform the surrounding community, according to the lawsuit. Following the meeting, “On April 15, 2025, Ms. Zasadil was placed on administrative leave without justification,” the lawsuit states. This prevented her from speaking to the substitute teacher for her class, colleagues at the district and students as they prepared for their Advanced Placement [AP] exams, according to the lawsuit. Zasadil returned to WHS at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, being removed from one section of AP US History and all three sections of the Contemporary World Issues Honors courses, which she has created herself and taught for 8 years. Zasadil’s lawsuit alleges this was one of many examples of retaliatory behavior from the district. On August 15, 2025, Zasadil received notice of unprofessional conduct and unsatisfactory performance, which resulted in being harmed “as a result of CVUSD’s retaliation against her for her statements regarding their failures in handling student Title IX reports,” the lawsuit states.
In response to the numerous protests held across the district, the CVUSD school board passed Resolution #24/25-46 at the end of the 2024-25 school year, addressing Title IX investigations and related practices. With an overall goal of ensuring student safety and an inclusive environment for all individuals, the CVUSD introduced an online educational course in alignment with the resolution. Through four sections, the course covered the definition of consent and the severity of sexual assault and harassment within a school environment. The CVUSD required all high school students to complete a new online sexual harassment course, which was a 29-minute online learning module provided by Vector Solutions. Originally, Newbury Park High School students were required to complete it between Sept. 15 and Sept. 30, however, it was later extended until Feb. 1, 2026.
Olivia Ludwick, WHS senior, was an active participant of the protests last May, speaking at the student walkout with a megaphone in hand in criticism of the school and district administration. A year later, following district Title IX policy changes and a school-wide assembly, Ludwick said she does not believe there has been a change in the culture of individuals sexualizing others.
“I guess the statements released by the school are just putting a temporary Band-Aid on a deeper wound and there’s actually a serious issue with our school. And it’s not even just our school, I think it’s the next generation in general about how we treat women, and the rise of violence against women,” Ludwick said.
Ludwick noted that across every school site in the CVUSD, Title IX posters are hung up, urging students to reach out to a trusted adult if there is any instance of sexual abuse, misconduct or harassment. As a previous student of Zasadil’s, Ludwick supports Zasadil’s decision to sue the district, and believes Zasadil is one of the best teachers she has ever had.
“It’s so funny that when we’re encouraged to talk to teachers who we trust, like Ms. Zasadil, they then remove them from school for the rest of the year and almost fire them,” Ludwick said. “I think that [Zasadil] was one of the only teachers who was brave enough to speak up for us.”
Leave a Reply