COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A former Columbus City Schools substitute teacher is suing the district, alleging they discriminated against him for his race and national origins. The former substitute teacher sued Columbus City Schools on Tuesday, alleging they treated him differently from other employees, demoted him unfairly and dismissed him without abiding by their disciplinary processes. The former teacher alleges the district did these things because he is Black and was born in Sierra Leone. On Friday, district representatives said the university has not yet been served with the complaint, so they will not yet comment on the litigation. However, according to court documents, they had filed an answer with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas on Thursday. Columbus schools' bathroom policies spark discussion Upon pointing this out, representatives clarified to NBC4 they have received the complaint from the former substitute's lawyers but not officially from the court. They did not respond to further questions. The former substitute said he was hired in January 2023 as a building substitute teacher. He claims he was denied laptops, lesson plans and training given to other employees, and he said requests for these resources were denied. He also accused district leadership of demoting him to a regular substitute after he reported his concerns to then-interim superintendent Angela Chapman. The former substitute alleges after this report, he was demoted to a regular substitute position and moved to another school, an act he says resulted in a significant pay cut. The substitute alleges he was then suspended without pay the same day he spoke with Chapman, which he said made it less likely for other employees to file discrimination concerns with district administrators. Lancaster locals, officials disputing drag queen He accused the district of purposefully creating hostile environments so he might quit and said he was suspended for months without pay. He alleges the district constructively discharged him, a legal term that refers to employers creating an intolerable work environment that a reasonable employee would leave. One instance of this environment that the teacher alleges in the lawsuit involves when he subbed for a kindergarten class with students who have special needs. He said he did not have a lesson plan and accused the district of "refusing" to give him help or guidance when he asked for it. He said when he told the principal he had to improvise lesson plans, she asked "in a dismissive tone if [his] lesson plan came 'from Africa.'" He also accused the district of not following its disciplinary policy by not giving him any verbal or written warnings. The former substitute said the conditions were retaliation for him reporting the alleged discrimination. The lawsuit sues on three counts: racial discrimination, discrimination based on country or origin and unlawful retaliation. It is scheduled for trial on Oct. 20, 2025.