Lawsuit Alleges Graham and Parks Principal Barred Volunteer From Teaching After Referencing Wheelchair Use

Updated February 5, 2026, at 5:04 p.m.

Graham and Parks Elementary School Principal Kathleen Smith allegedly barred a volunteer from working at the school after referencing her use of a wheelchair in internal emails, according to court documents filed last week in a disability discrimination lawsuit against Cambridge Public Schools.

The volunteer, Sarah Heine, sued CPS in November, alleging that district administrators prevented her from volunteering and substituting at G&P because of her disability. Heine, a licensed elementary school teacher, previously worked as a substitute in the district and volunteered for 12 years.

In a filing submitted Jan. 28 in opposition to the district’s motion to strike portions of her complaint, Heine included internal emails she obtained in discovery that she argued support her claims of discrimination. One email, dated Sept. 22, 2025, was sent by Graham and Parks Principal Kathleen Smith to multiple district administrators.

“This person is in a wheelchair with significant mobility challenges,” Smith wrote, according to a screenshot included in the filing.

Smith added that she had canceled Heine’s assignment and previously blocked her from picking up further work at Graham and Parks, writing that removing substitutes is something the district has done when individuals have “not created a safe learning environment for students.”

The email was sent to several CPS officials, including Substitute Employment Specialist Connie Moniz and Director of Equity Leslie Jimenez, according to the filing.

The lawsuit stems from events in early September, when Heine’s five upcoming substitute teaching assignments at Graham and Parks were abruptly canceled. An hour later, she received a notice stating that the shifts were “Removed by Admin,” with a comment that there was “not a para assigned to this classroom to support transitions,” according to her complaint.

Heine, who uses a wheelchair, said she is unable to travel with a large group of students up stairs. However, in the complaint, Heine said that other teachers have supervised her students’ travel between their classes before.

After her assignments were canceled, Heine contacted Smith to explain that she had a plan to manage transitions during the school day, according to the complaint. Days later, Smith circulated a memo to staff stating that all school volunteers must receive administrative approval before beginning work. Heine alleged in her complaint that Smith’s memo effectively rendered her unable to continue volunteering.

On Jan. 21, CPS moved to strike three portions of Heine’s original complaint, calling them “redundant, immaterial, impertinent and scandalous.” A judge denied the motion this week, allowing the case to proceed in full.

Two of the paragraphs refer to a separate discrimination lawsuit Smith was involved in as the principal of an elementary school in Newton in 2019. The third alluded to a 2024 investigation into Smith after complaints from teachers and parents that Smith created a “toxic working environment.” CPS hired an outside firm to investigate the allegations, which it deemed “unsubstantiated.”

A lawyer for Heine declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

Heine was told that she could return to substitute teaching if she accepted support from G&P Assistant Principal Paul McKnight. But she has been unable to return to her volunteer work at the school, she told The Crimson in November.

CPS spokesperson Jaclyn Piques declined to comment on the lawsuit, writing that the district does not comment on “personnel matters nor active litigation or investigations.”

Correction: February 5, 2026

A previous version of this article stated that the results of the 2024 investigation into Graham and Parks were never released. In fact, CPS released a summary of the report along with an accompanying statement in August 2024.

—Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Jaya N. Karamcheti can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Tess E. Sumner can be reached at [email protected].