OAKLAND — A former Oakland Unified School District teacher has filed a lawsuit against the district, claiming racial harassment after she found a noose on her desk.

Ethel Rene Hayes, who taught special education at Fruitvale Elementary School for about a year, filed the lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court last month, claiming she was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for her racial harassment complaint, court documents state.

On Oct. 24, 2014, Hayes, who is African-American, arrived at work after being off work for two days to find a blue rope tied into a noose on her desk, according to a police report.

Hayes states in her lawsuit that she alerted the school principal, who failed to take her concerns and the hate crime seriously, she said. She filed a police report two months later because she feared for her safety, according to the lawsuit.

Valerie Goode, a district spokeswoman, said the district received the complaint but was unable to comment on pending litigation.

Hayes’ attorney, Arthur Lazear, said her client has no idea who left the noose on her desk and she did not have any ongoing feuds with anyone at the school. After the incident, she went on workers’ compensation leave from work because of the threat of violence, the suit states. In May 2015, she was told she would not return to work and was forced to resign, she said.

Hayes claims she suffered emotional and psychological distress from the incident.

Angela Ruggiero can be contacted at 510-293-2469 or Twitter.com/aeruggie.