Two former Seattle Public Schools (SPS) employees are suing the district and their previous boss.

In the lawsuit, Emme Collins, SPS’s district executive chef from 2019 to 2023, and Helen Jones, operations manager in culinary services at SPS from 1998 to 2023, accused SPS Director of Culinary Services Aaron Smith of bullying and harassment.

In July 2022, Collins went on a work trip with Smith and claimed he pressured her to drink alcohol when she told him she didn’t want to.

She said during a dinner with a vendor, he “scowled” at her when she couldn’t provide more information about a program she was not a part of.

“Defendant Smith’s behavior toward plaintiff Collins made both the vendor and plaintiff Collins very uncomfortable,” the lawsuit stated.

The vendor then allegedly arranged fo

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