KCPS principal allegedly told teachers they were ‘too old,’ new lawsuit says

A Missouri woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Kansas City Public Schools and the principal of Pitcher Elementary School after she was allegedly fired from her position for making complaints of age discrimination, according to court filings.

The suit, brought by the Missouri Commission on Human Rights and Jeannette Ashby-Welter, 68, was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court May 13, according to court documents.

Ashby-Welter was allegedly fired from her position as an instructional coach at Pitcher Elementary School after submitting a formal complaint of age discrimination to KCPS Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Collier and human resources directors Jordan Gordon and Dana Risch.

The woman filed the complaint May 29, 2023, and was fired May 30, according to court documents.

At the beginning of the 2022—2023 school year, Luis Hinojosa was appointed as the principal of Pitcher Elementary School, according to court documents. In the lawsuit, Ashby-Welter alleges Hinojosa has been removed from two separate principal positions.

During at least one of his previous principal positions, Hinojosa allegedly pursued a romantic relationship with at least one young female employee under his supervision, the lawsuit reads.

Once starting the position at Pitcher Elementary, Hinojosa was “alarmingly attentive” to young female employees, according to the lawsuit. It states he would regularly remove one teacher from her classroom for one-on-one coaching.

Additionally, the principal allegedly spoke “demeaningly to and about older teachers,” according to court documents. The lawsuit also alleges he referred to one older female teacher only by her age and “never her name.”

Hinojosa allegedly told Ashby-Welter on several occasions that an older teacher “would not be coming back to the school next year” because “he wanted to hire ‘the young blonde’ to replace the ‘72-year-old,’” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges Hinojosa told a librarian at the school he wanted “a younger person” for her job, but could not find anyone to replace her. The man told another teacher that he was “too old.”

At the end of the school year, eight employees over 50 were terminated by KCPS, according to the lawsuit. Another seven teachers over the age of 50 “left, retired or did not have their contracts renewed.”

The following school year, five more were fired, the lawsuit alleges.

Beginning in January 2023, Ashby-Welter, who has 37 years of teaching experience, was required to “train younger teachers” on her job duties, allegedly to replace her, according to the lawsuit.

The school district had until April 15, 2023, to notify Ashby-Welter if her contract was not going to be renewed, according to the lawsuit. She claimed she didn’t receive notice that her contract would not be renewed..

Ashby-Welter filed a written complaint of age discrimination to Hinojosa on April 23, 2023, according to the lawsuit. She stated she was fearful that her contract would not be renewed, and she said she wanted “to be treated fairly and equally and work in a nondiscriminatory working environment.”

However, her name was not included on the 2023—2024 staff list, despite never being told her employment was terminated, according to the lawsuit. Instead of Ashby-Welter, teachers “who were much younger, less qualified and much less experienced” received roles, the lawsuit alleges.

Ashby-Welter requested her 2023—2024 school year contract from KCPS and reported age discrimination to the district on May 29, 2023, according to the lawsuit.

She said she was fired the next day.

KCPS emailed Ashby-Welter, telling her that HR was investigating her complaints. The email ended with her termination, she said in the lawsuit.

“This email is to let you know the instructional coach part time position at Pitcher ended on the last day of the 22—23 school year,” according to the lawsuit.

Her position at Pitcher Elementary School was listed as “open,” the lawsuit alleges.

Ashby-Welter applied for her previous role, as well as three other positions in the school district. She said she was not selected for any of them, according to the lawsuit.

Ashby-Welter is seeking restitution from all parties for one count each of age discrimination and retaliation, as well as restitution from Hinojosa for negligent infliction of emotional distress and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to court filings.

Kansas City Public Schools Public Relations Coordinator Shain Bergan told the Star that KCPS “does not comment on pending litigation,” but they did dispute some of the information stated in the lawsuit.

“For context, however, Plaintiff was a part-time instructional coach. At the time, the school had two part-time instructional coach positions that were changed into one full-time position for the following year,” Bergan said. “It remains a full-time position today. Plaintiff was offered a full-time teacher contract for the following year, but did not accept.”

This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 2:38 PM.