Anyone Else Experience Age Discrimination in EdTech?

11 Comments

1. The Moonlit QuillJanuary 11,2026 at 8:52AM UTC

   First of all, that's illegal. Second, the ADA describes what was done to you as disability discrimination. I say, contact the ADA, and tell them about your situation and the company's history of discrimination; and then, hire a powerhouse lawyer and sue the company. They will never stop until they are reminded there are laws they must operate under.

2. AnonymousJanuary 11,2026 at 4:33PM UTC

   I just retired as a civil right investigator. It is very difficult to prove these cases unless you have a significant amount of documentation.

   For example, you mentioned that they ignored your requests for accommodation. For a charge like that, we would want copies of emails where you requested a specific accommodation (and answers from HR if you had them); a doctors note or medical records that documented the type and length of accommodation needed; copies of your performance evaluations, time and attendance records, and all of the correspondence/communications around your termination. If you have them, the names, ages, dates, and contact information of all employees that were terminated would be very helpful.

   Much of the evidence needs to come from the Claimant (you) because the Respondent (the company) can so easily stonewall.and claim “undue hardship” or a business case for the termination of staff.

   Many cases that had been filed well over a year prior with the EEOC were turned over to our state civil rights department because they were so backlogged at the national level.

   if you feel you have a strong case, it would be well worth it to contact a trusted attorney to inquire as to their perspective. With these cases languishing so long at the EEOC, it is not uncommon for witnesses and others (HR and management) to have already moved on to other companies or retired by the time the investigative process begins, and documentation was sometimes becomes “lost” by then.

   It is a long and sometimes arduous process in terms of the waiting— and very frustrating when investigators change mid case. It’s horrible to say, but most of the cases I inherited had been through anywhere from 4 to 6 previous investigators because the turnover was so high. Obviously, this makes it difficult to maintain continuity and is terribly inefficient. .

   Please don’t misinterpret anything written here as discouragement from pursuing your case! There are far too many companies who are skirting the law and intentionally doing the wrong thing because no one is holding them accountable.

   That said, the best recommendation I can offer is to not put your eggs all in one basket— even if you feel you have a “slam-dunk” case. Pursue finding another job in the meantime. Get all of your documentation together, find emotional support from others as you deal with anger and grief, and make a note to check in with the investigator assigned to your case about once every six weeks or so for updates. With an average of 75 cases in the queue,, the squeaky wheel often helps keeps things at the top of the caseload.

   Best wishes as you navigate this frustrating situation!

3. AnonymousJanuary 12,2026 at 4:50PM UTC

   Sadly this is the absolute BEST advice especially in this workplace environment. Anti employee and accountability guard rails have been removed rendering good corporate governance a thing of the past. Very scary and hard to navigate.

4. AnonymousJanuary 11,2026 at 7:12PM UTC

   Thank you for your courage in pursuing this. Your lawyer is the best source for knowing what you should expect. I hope he or she is really, really good and takes Carnegie Learning to the cleaners. I also hope that anyone reading this who buys or uses ed tech chooses NOT to buy anything from that company. Age discrimination is all too real right now and it's terrible that few companies appreciate experience. They would rather hire the lowest-paid people they possibly can, then shake their heads when those people leave for better-paying positions.

5. Linda BlackmoreJanuary 12,2026 at 2:09PM UTC

   Blatantly illegal, both for age and disability. And they have a history of this. I would get the best employment attorney you can find and go after them.

6. AnonymousJanuary 12,2026 at 4:44PM UTC

   Well if anyone has a case it’s you. But you need to find a good attorney willing to take this on. That’s the problem these days. There has to be enough money to make it worth their while. That’s why many people opt to have a discussion with an attorney before leaving all that severance money on the table. Note also that due to the current administrations cuts and pro business anti employee stances much of the punishments for bad labor practices have been defanged. Discriminatory practices are on the rise for sure! Make sure you have filed complaints with all the appropriate government agencies as well and see if you can get unemployment and file a wrongful termination suit. Good luck to you sincerely.

7. AnonymousJanuary 12,2026 at 7:32PM UTC

   If you have everything documented, it's certainly worth looking into a good attorney. That said, if you're in a right-to-work state, it's going to be harder to find an attorney who will take you on. If you are, you might want to look out of state for a good attorney. As one of them told me "I hate your state. People can fire you for any reason and get away with it." All the best!!

8. AnonymousJanuary 12,2026 at 7:41PM UTC

   God bless you - hang in there and don’t give up - what they did is not only unethical but illegal!

9. AnonymousJanuary 13,2026 at 2:09PM UTC

   Proving layoffs were solely based on age is very hard and may not even be accurate unless you know a lot about everyone laid off. For example, I once had to layoff 3 direct reports. They were all over 50. One filed a lawsuit and lost because it was easily proven that the three of them were the weakest performers on the team. Even if the company was doing it based on age, there is plenty of cover in performance most of the time.

10. Lucas NikolasJanuary 13,2026 at 2:31PM UTC
    This is an incredibly tough and, unfortunately, far too common situation in the tech world—especially in EdTech, which often Rabbit Road InOut tries to brand itself as "forward-thinking" but can fall into the same "move fast and break things" traps as Silicon Valley.
11. AnonymousApril 30,2026 at 2:52PM UTC

    Update: Thank you all for the incredible support and validation! Your responses have been so helpful during a difficult process.

    For those asking about next steps - I submitted my EEOC rebuttal in February and am now waiting on the investigator's determination. The case is strong with documented evidence of the pattern many of you recognized immediately.

    I'm also building resources to help other women over 50 navigate workplace discrimination. If you've experienced similar situations, I'd love to connect and share what I've learned through this process.

    Your comments reminded me I'm not alone in this - thank you. ?