Jury Rejects Anne Olear Age Bias Claim Against School Board
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Case Background
Anne L. Olear spent more than four decades as a Family Consumer Science teacher in Waterbury, Connecticut. She began working for the district in 1974 and taught at West Side Middle School until her retirement in February 2020 at the age of 67.
Before leaving, Olear explored the possibility of returning to work under the rules that allow retired teachers to be rehired in shortage areas. She spoke with school administrators and Human Resources staff, who told her she could retire, take a short break in service, and then come back under a new contract. Based on these conversations, she formally submitted her retirement paperwork in February 2020.
Soon after, the school district posted her position. Olear applied and interviewed. The school principal even wrote to HR that he wanted her back. Yet weeks later, she was told another, younger teacher with less experience had been hired instead. Olear felt the decision was discriminatory and misleading.
She filed a complaint with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities in February 2021, received a release of jurisdiction later that year, and then brought this lawsuit in November 2021.
Sequence of events
The lawsuit grew out of a sequence of events that began when Anne Olear decided to retire in early 2020. She had worked for Waterbury Public Schools for 46 years
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