Horry County teacher sues district, principal for discrimination over breast-milk pumping
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — An Horry County teacher is suing the district and principal of her former school claiming that she was discriminated against after requesting breaks to pump breast milk.
Wendy Savoca, who spent seven years as a library media specialist at River Oaks Elementary, said in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Horry County Common Pleas Court that she faced a hostile work environment because of repeated invasions of privacy and the district’s refusal to accommodate her request despite having medical documentation.
Horry County Schools spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said Wednesday the district doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
According to the lawsuit, Savoca returned to her job on Jan. 13, 2021, after several weeks of maternity leave. Although classes were remote at the time because of the pandemic, Savoca was considered an essential employee and was required to work at the school.
Once in-person teaching resumed, Savoca asked for pumping breaks from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., the lawsuit says.
“Ms. Savoca put curtains over her office door and placed a sign on the door when she was pumping so that she would have privacy,” the complaint states.
Savoca alleges that the principal and other school administrators reassigned her assistant during the breaks while accommodating requests by other teachers. That led to Savoca developing mastitis and clogs that left her in pain and caused leaking in front of her students, according to the lawsuit.
“Ms. Savoca often cried at work because she was in pain and embarrassed,” the lawsuit says.
After the principal was informed that Savoca had filed a grievance against her, she retaliated by canceling a popular in-school news segment and reassigning her to morning carpool duties, according to the suit. That prevented Savoca from opening the library before classes began and sometimes kept her at work beyond 4 p.m., interfering with her ability to pick up her son from day care.
“By retaliating against the plaintiff, (the principal) was not just punishing [the] plaintiff, she was also punishing [the] plaintiff’s students,” the lawsuit says.
At one point, the lawsuit states, the principal walked in on Savoca while she was pumping and clad only in underwear, leaving a classroom door open for 10 minutes.
“Everyone at the time could see Ms. Savoca in her underwear,” the lawsuit states. “Ms. Savoca was humiliated because there were male teachers and students in the library who saw her.”
Savoca is asking for a jury trial and unspecified damages.
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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