Joseph Williams, Rialto Unified's senior director of community partnerships, filed a lawsuit against the district, alleging racial- and gender-based harassment and retaliation. Williams says he was stripped of supervisory duties after reporting harassment.
According to the San Bernardino Sun, Williams alleges racial- and gender-based harassment by trustee Evelyn Dominguez and retaliation. Williams also serves as a trustee for the San Bernardino Community College District.
Williams's Allegations Involve Trustee Dominguez
Williams alleges racial- and gender-based harassment by Dominguez and says the district retaliated after he reported harassment.
Williams says he reported harassment involving Dominguez to the district.
Williams Alleges Retaliation
Williams alleges the district retaliated against him after he reported harassment.
Williams says he was stripped of supervisory duties.
A Pattern Dating to a 2024 Investigation Into Dominguez
This is not the first time Dominguez's conduct has come under formal scrutiny. The district hired the San Diego-based Sobel Group in January 2024 to investigate complaints brought by former Boyd Elementary assistant principal Karensa Hutchens, according to a separate San Bernardino Sun investigation. A June 21, 2024 report from that probe found that several factual allegations against Dominguez were substantiated, including that she made disparaging remarks about Hutchens, but concluded that “these findings of fact do not constitute violations or misapplications of district policies, regulations, rules or procedures.”
Investigators in that same 2024 report also found evidence that Dominguez “may use her position as a board member to receive preferential treatment at Boyd Elementary School.” Dominguez said at the time that she was appealing the investigation's findings.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Litigation at Rialto Unified
Williams's suit comes amid other litigation involving Rialto Unified. Former superintendent Cuauhtemoc Avila was placed on leave in May 2024 after sexual harassment allegations from Patricia Chavez; Avila denies her allegations and claims investigators cleared him of sexual harassment. He was fired in February 2025 and, in July 2025, sued Rialto Unified himself, alleging he was pushed out for resisting trustee Edgar Montes's efforts to steer vendor contracts, install unqualified hires, and shut down a Nutrition Services investigation, according to the Press-Enterprise.
Separately, Frank Montes sued Rialto Unified in June 2025, alleging a school board member defamed him and helped block his company from district work, as reported by the Daily Bulletin. The pattern of retaliation claims against school districts extends beyond Rialto: in Stockton, former facilities director Armando Orozco filed a civil complaint alleging whistleblower retaliation, disability discrimination, and wrongful termination after he raised concerns about the district's bidding process for air-filter disinfectant technology, according to The Record. Stockton Unified has denied all of Orozco's allegations in court filings.
