Jim Harris, who was top lawyer for Portland Public Schools for six months before Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero pushed him out, has filed an unfair labor practices complaint, saying Guerrero ousted him after he questioned the school board's treatment of employees of color.

Harris' complaint offers a new perspective on Guerrero's firing of Deputy Chief Executive Officer Yousef Awwad last fall, which happened shortly after Guerrero took the top job at Portland Public Schools. Awwad has been vocal about his ouster, alleging he was fired for speaking out against what he felt was a secretive and illegal investigation into a personal relationship he had with a subordinate. Harris' complaint largely backs Awwad's take.

"I became concerned that two or three board members of the school board held discriminatory attitudes based upon race and sexual orientation," the complaint says. It says board members, who he does not name, conducted in private investigations of Awwad as well as an unnamed licensed teacher.

Awwad has said then-school board chair Julia Brim-Edwards had him investigated because of a personal vendetta, a charge she has denied.

Harris' complaint also says he spoke out about other instances of discriminatory behavior, such as a blocked rollout of translation services and delayed release of a memo to staff about inclusion. Harris also says he felt he was fired because board members learned his spouse is Asian. Harris is white, Guerrero is Latino, Brim-Edwards is white and Awwad is Jordanian.

Michelle Cole, a spokeswoman for the district who works for a public affairs firm, called the complaint inaccurate and misleading and said the superintendent asked Harris to resign "for reasons that were entirely related to his performance."

Harris, an experienced lawyer who did not have a background in education law, had not obtained a license to practice law in Oregon at the time he was dismissed. But district officials said that was not the basis for his ouster.

Cole said, "It is also deeply unfortunate that Mr. Harris continues to violate his former client's trust by disclosing misleading information and details of privileged, attorney-client communications within his (complaint), thus violating his legal and ethical obligations under the Oregon Rules of Professional Conduct."

Guerrero fired Awwad shortly before he fired Harris. Awwad has contended the school board's investigation into him was illegal because the board launched it in secret, instead of approving it through a public vote. That investigation ultimately found Awwad had violated no policies, but did question his judgment and recommended the board enact new policies that would have made clear his continuing to supervise a subordinate after he started dating her was inappropriate.

Harris says he became aware of the Awwad investigation when a law firm contacted him in August to express discomfort that the firm was doing work for the board without a contract. Harris said he then reported to the superintendent that he felt the contract violated state law and he refused to sign any engagement letters or other matters related to the contract because he believed it to be illegal.

Brim-Edwards said in a statement that Harris' complaint "continues his pattern of making serious and untrue allegations." She added that it is "well-documented that advice I and other board members received from outside legal counsel was appropriately sought and the proper contracts were in place."

"I find it particularly abhorrent and personally offensive for Mr. Harris to claim that any of my actions taken on behalf of the district would be motivated by race or sexual orientation," Brim-Edwards said, noting she was not involved in Guerrero's decision to fire Harris. "I have a track record of supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce. "

Harris' complaint does not specify what the alleged discrimination regarding sexual orientation was.

The fact that Guerrero asked Harris to resign hasn't been previously reported. At the time Harris stepped down, Guerrero wrote in a notice to all district employees that Harris had "tendered his resignation" and a district spokesman indicated the decision was mutual.

According to the complaint, Guerrero asked Harris to resign, told him when his last day would be and said that Harris could expect two months pay.

Harris is emphatic that the choice to leave was not his own. He makes a point of stating that The Oregonian/OregonLive falsely reported that he voluntarily left. The news outlet's story attributed the fact that Harris resigned to Guerrero's all-staff message. At the time, The Oregonian/OregonLive asked repeatedly if Harris had been asked to resign. Then-district spokesman Dave Northfield did not answer the question but sent a statement that said, "Through various conversations both parties agreed this was the path forward."

Harris faces his own legal trouble from the Oregon State Bar, which filed charges against him for serving as the school district's general counsel without being admitted to practice in Oregon. The bar notified Harris he was under investigation shortly before he was fired last November. A hearing on the matter is set for Dec. 3.

Harris has contended that he qualified for a temporary ability to practice because he was in the process of seeking membership to the bar, a fact the district was aware of when he started his job.

Although Northfield backed Harris up on that point and stressed the lawyer had a pristine record, Brim-Edwards said at the time she was surprised about Harris' lack of Oregon credentials. Harris' complaint takes issue with Brim-Edwards' surprise, calling her remarks false.

Email records corroborate Brim-Edwards claim that she was unaware Harris lacked an Oregon license.

"The lack of licensing was a surprise and now that I am aware of it, it wouldn't be appropriate to continue to have the board advised at a public meeting by an individual who is not currently licensed to practice in Oregon," Brim-Edwards wrote on Nov. 9, 2017 to the district's director of human resources. "This request is not based on any particular issue with the individual in the (general counsel) role, rather it is a matter of professional best practice."

— Bethany Barnes

Got a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Bethany: bbarnes@oregonian.com