Longtime HR Employee Says Demoted, Salary Reduced After Taking Leave For Dying Mom.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A longtime Palm Beach County School District employee is suing the district, alleging she was demoted and faced massive pay cuts as retaliation for taking time off to care for her dying mother. Sherry Gibson, a 33-year veteran of the district, filed the lawsuit this week in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. Gibson claims that after decades of service, her professional life was upended when she asked for help under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
According to the complaint reviewed by BocaNewsNow.com, Gibson had spent 25 years in the same human resources role before her mother, a retired teacher in the school district, became terminally ill in early 2025. Gibson began the FMLA application process in January and officially started her leave in April 2025. However, the lawsuit alleges that just two days after her leave began, the district notified her that she would be reassigned to an instructional position. This move reportedly came with a huge salary reduction — dropping her annual pay from $112,930 to roughly $78,000.
Following her mother’s death in January 2026, Gibson says she was informed her new salary would be slashed again, this time to just over $60,050—nearly half of what she earned before taking leave. The lawsuit further claims that her new role is merely an interim teaching position covering for someone on maternity leave, a sharp contrast to the permanent administrative career she built over three decades.
Gibson, represented by The Ticktin Law Group, is now seeking damages for lost wages and is demanding to be restored to her prior position or a substantially equivalent one. The filing accuses the Palm Beach County School District of violating both federal FMLA statutes and Florida state laws regarding career service employees. As of Tuesday, the district had not yet filed a formal response to the allegations in court.
