A former girls’ basketball coach at Norcross High School recently sued Gwinnett County Public Schools in federal court, alleging she was terminated from her coaching positions on the varsity and junior varsity team due to racial discrimination and retaliation.
Joyce Pierce, who teaches special education at the school, filed the lawsuit in the Atlanta division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
In the lawsuit, Pierce alleges she lost her position as assistant coach of the varsity team due to racial discrimination. She then said she was fired as head coach of the junior varsity team in retaliation for complaining about it, according to the lawsuit.
Sloan Roach, spokeswoman for Gwinnett County Public Schools, said the district has policies that prevent race discrimination and attorneys had yet to review the complaint.
Pierce, who is Black, played basketball for Norcross as a student and holds the school record for most points in a game. She went on to play for Georgia Tech and was invited to the U.S. Olympic team trials in 1992, according to the complaint. She is a member of the Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame.
Pierce is seeking back pay from the date she lost her coaching positions, unspecified compensation for emotional distress and attorneys’ fees.
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