A former Sacramento City Unified kindergarten teacher is taking her old employer to court, accusing the district of racial discrimination, denial of disability accommodations and wrongful termination. At the center of the lawsuit are claims that her predominantly minority kindergarten class at David Lubin Elementary was physically kept apart from the school’s two other kindergarten classes.
Lanisha Barney, hired in September 2024 to teach kindergarten at David Lubin, alleges that the separation stretched into nearly every part of the school day, including lunch and recess, and shifted how her young students interacted with classmates. "It was really heartbreaking to see my students playing on one side of the playground," Barney told The Sacramento Bee, describing how her class was routinely set apart.
School profile and enrollment
David Lubin serves Sacramento’s East Sacramento neighborhood and reported an enrollment of about 455 students for the 2025-26 school year, according to the California Department of Education. State data indicate the campus has a sizable mix of white and Latino students along with other racial groups.
Allegations, timeline and district response
Barney’s complaint claims her students were told to sit on the far side of the cafeteria, that two other kindergarten teachers refused to let their students play with her class, and that her group was "effectively segregated" onto a different bus during a late-2024 field trip. She also says she was denied assessment tools and other basic classroom resources that the other kindergarten teachers received.
The filing states Barney raised her concerns with the principal, then submitted formal complaints to human resources in January 2025. She was later placed on unpaid medical leave in May 2025 and terminated on June 13, 2025, while still on approved leave, according to the lawsuit. The suit seeks more than $35,000 in damages, although Barney’s attorney told The Sacramento Bee that figure is a jurisdictional threshold rather than the total amount sought, and that the requested relief is focused on ending discriminatory treatment. A district spokesperson said Sacramento City Unified is aware of the case but would not comment on pending litigation.
Why the case matters now
The lawsuit lands at a sensitive moment for the district. In January 2026, the California Attorney General’s office announced a settlement with Sacramento City Unified over unlawful enrollment practices that the office said harmed students of color and students with disabilities. That agreement has already put a spotlight on how the district assigns students and provides accommodations, especially in popular or competitive programs, and Barney’s allegations add fresh fuel to that ongoing debate.
Legal angle
Claims of race and disability discrimination and wrongful termination are often brought under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act alongside federal civil-rights laws. Plaintiffs commonly move through the California Civil Rights Department’s intake and complaint process before suing in court, a track that can lead to requests for injunctive relief in addition to money damages.
What happens next in Barney’s case will hinge on filings and scheduling in Sacramento County Superior Court, as well as any settlement talks or attempts to reach a broader policy fix. For now, the lawsuit throws an uncomfortable spotlight on how one neighborhood school, and the district that runs it, handles kindergarten classroom assignments and disability accommodations under rules that are supposed to be nondiscriminatory.
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