A Walnut Park elementary school teacher who said she was fired after reporting suspected abuse by her principal has quietly settled her whistleblower lawsuit against a local charter school operator, according to court filings.
The case, brought in Los Angeles Superior Court, accused the campus and its operator of whistleblower retaliation and wrongful termination. Attorneys told the court in mid-May that the parties had reached an accord and asked a judge to dismiss the case.
Brandy Noble, hired as an English language arts intervention teacher at Academia Moderna in September 2023, claimed in her lawsuit that she was punished after she reported what she saw on campus. Her attorneys filed papers notifying Judge William Fahey of an accord on May 13, 2026, and later asked that the case be dismissed, according to MyNewsLA. The complaint names both the campus and Alta Public Schools as defendants.
What the suit alleges
According to the complaint, Noble was assigned to restroom monitoring duty in October 2024 when she recorded an incident in which the principal allegedly "picked up a student, pushed the child into a dark room and pinned the pupil to the floor."
"Ms. Noble believed that the instruction received from her superiors to remain silent concerning her observation of (the principal) was unlawful," the filing states.
The suit further alleges she reported the episode to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and County Child Protective Services in November 2024. After that, school leaders allegedly accused her of attempted extortion, placed her on a performance-improvement plan, issued reprimand letters and then fired her in December 2024, according to MyNewsLA.
Mandated reporters and the law
Under California law, school staff are mandated reporters who must notify law enforcement or child-protective services when they know of or reasonably suspect child abuse. California Legislature Penal Code section 11166 requires an immediate telephone report followed by a written report within 36 hours. The statute also forbids internal policies or supervisors from blocking or disciplining reporters for making those reports.
About the school
Academia Moderna is an Alta Public Schools charter elementary campus in Walnut Park; the school lists its address as 2410 Broadway Ave., Walnut Park, CA 90255 on its website. Academia Moderna describes itself as an International Baccalaureate elementary program and is operated by Alta Public Schools.
Legal implications
Employment law in California offers additional protection to workers who report suspected legal violations. California Legislature Labor Code section 1102.5 bars retaliation for disclosures to law enforcement or other public bodies and allows for civil penalties and attorneys’ fees if an employer is found to have retaliated.
How this fits into a broader debate
The case arrives amid heightened scrutiny of how schools handle allegations of misconduct, especially after a federal review into Los Angeles Unified’s handling of teacher abuse complaints. That broader scrutiny has raised renewed questions about whether districts and charters move fast enough to protect students and to support staff who report concerns. The Los Angeles Times has detailed the federal inquiry into LAUSD's practices.
Court papers filed in mid-May notify the judge of the accord and seek dismissal. The filings do not disclose any settlement terms. The case remains assigned to Judge William Fahey in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and any further steps will appear on the court docket if the dismissal is not entered.
