Appeal court denies summary judgment; issue of ministerial exception triable
A California court has found that the core of an art teacher’s job responsibilities did not consist of educating students in the Catholic faith, given that she also held the role of an office administrator.
St. Cecilia Catholic School employed the plaintiff in the case of Atkins v. St. Cecilia Catholic School from 1978 to 2018. Initially, she worked as a part-time secretary or office administrator. In 1999, she started working as a part-time art teacher as well. She also occasionally served as a substitute teacher for other subjects.
In the summer of 2018, the school’s new principal met the plaintiff to discuss her position and availability for the upcoming school year. A week later, the principal decided that the school should eliminate her teaching position since it could no longer afford an art teacher. She did not receive an opportunity to continue working in an office administration position.
In 2019, the plaintiff sued the school. She alleged that the school terminated her because of her age and replaced her with a much younger and less experienced employee, which amounted to age discrimination under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.
In 2021, the school filed a motion for summary judgment. It argued that the ministerial exception barred the plaintiff’s claim because, in the art teacher role, the school entrusted her with the responsibility of educating and forming its students in...
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