Whistleblower Retaliation Alleged as Former Elk Grove Unified Special Education Administrator Sues District
The plaintiff alleges to have identified several areas of concern, including shortages of paraeducators assigned to special education students
ELK GROVE, Calif. — A former Elk Grove Unified School District special education administrator has filed a lawsuit alleging the district retaliated against her after she repeatedly raised concerns about what she described as widespread violations of state and federal special education laws.
The complaint, filed in Sacramento County Superior Court, alleges that Paula Camp was subjected to negative performance evaluations, intimidation, and ultimately the non-renewal of her employment after reporting what she believed were compliance failures involving special education services and students' legal rights.
Camp, who was hired in March 2024 as a Special Education Program Specialist, alleges she initially received praise for her work before being reassigned to oversee special education programs serving Joseph Sims, Sierra Enterprise and Elitha Donner elementary schools. According to the complaint, conflicts developed after she began pressing district administrators to comply with federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements and provisions of the California Education Code.
The lawsuit alleges Camp identified several areas of concern, including shortages of paraeducators assigned to special education students, failures to provide required documents to parents before Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, inadequate staff training, and delays in meeting statutory deadlines governing special education services.
According to the complaint, Camp also raised concerns regarding a student who repeatedly left supervised areas at school and alleged district staff failed to conduct a required transitional IEP meeting after the student transferred into the district. The lawsuit further claims district administrators refused to provide parents with requested records concerning the student's safety and educational services, resulting in a complaint being filed with the California Department of Education.
Camp alleges that after repeatedly reporting what she believed were violations of special education law, her relationship with supervisors deteriorated. The lawsuit claims she was instructed to "look the other way" regarding compliance issues and to prioritize obtaining signatures on IEPs rather than ensuring legal requirements were met.
The complaint further alleges Camp received what her supervisor described as the worst performance evaluation in the district, despite earlier praise for her work. She claims administrators later instructed her to "stop talking to people," "just sign the IEPs," and "keep quiet about compliance issues." Camp contends those actions were retaliation for her whistleblower complaints.
According to the lawsuit, Camp appealed the evaluation, submitted complaints to district administrators, including Superintendent Mark Hoffman and members of the Board of Trustees, and offered hundreds of documents supporting her allegations. She claims she received no substantive response before being notified in January 2025 that her employment would not continue beyond June 30, 2025.
The complaint also alleges district officials threatened to place a hold on Camp's teaching credential if she failed to resign, denied her request to be reassigned away from her supervisor, and later refused to provide copies of her personnel file despite multiple requests. Camp further alleges a prospective administrative position with the Sacramento City Unified School District was lost after reference checks with Elk Grove Unified.
The lawsuit asserts two causes of action: whistleblower retaliation in violation of California Labor Code Section 1102.5 and failure to provide personnel records as required under California Labor Code Section 1198.5. Camp seeks lost wages, emotional distress damages, civil penalties, attorney's fees, costs, and other relief to be determined at trial.
The Elk Grove Unified School District does not comment on pending litigation.
Camp is represented by San Diego-based attorneys Jillian M. Fairchild and Morgan A. Ruiz of Fairchild Employment Law, P.C. The case is Paula Camp v. Elk Grove Unified School District, Sacramento County Superior Court Case No. 26CV011845.
