Ex-principal claims being called “big, black woman”

A former principal has sued a private school in Highlands Ranch claiming she was fired after her supervisor made racial statements including that she intimidated bosses because she is a “big, black woman.”

A civil discrimination lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of Carolyn Ammidown of Highlands Ranch in U.S. District Court in Denver against Merryhill School in Highlands Ranch and its owner, Nobel Learning Communities.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued Ammidown a notice of the right to sue on July 26, the lawsuit says.

“We strenuously deny the baseless allegations in Ms. Ammidown’s complaint, and will vigorously defend against this suit. As born out by the EEOC’s no probable cause determination, we did not discriminate against Ms. Ammidown and have ample, justifiable, and well-documented evidence to support her separation from employment,” Nobel Learning said in a news release on Wednesday.

Ammidown had worked at Children’s Choice Learning Center of Highlands Ranch, rising to the position of principal. When Nobel purchased the school in 2013, Ammidown became the principal of Merryhill and reported to Krista Bielat.

In September 2013, when Ammidown introduced herself to Nobel’s then-chief operating officer Patricia Miller, Miller allegedly said, “I don’t think too highly of many black people.”

After a November 2013 visit by Nobel CEO George Bernstein to Merryhill, Bielat told Ammidown that he was “intimidated” by Ammidown.

When Ammidown attended a conference in February 2015, Bielat told her that Bernstein had asked her to tell Ammidown that “George told me to tell you that he is intimidated by you.”

Soon after, Bielat told Ammidown that a job candidate told Bielat that she didn’t wish to work at the school because she was “intimidated” because “you’re a big, black woman.”

Ammidown told Bielat that she didn’t believe such comments about race and gender were appropriate.

Thereafter, Bielat began closely scrutinizing Ammidown and placed her on administrative leave on April 14, 2015, without warning or prior discipline, the lawsuit says.

Ammidown filed a formal race and gender discrimination complaint the same day and was fired three days later.