Iowa teachers suspended over viral student-run drag show reach settlement before trial

Three Iowa teachers who were disciplined for helping to facilitate a student-led resistance show person reached a colony aft filing favoritism lawsuits against nan Ankeny Community School District.

The territory launched investigations into teachers Jill Bjorklund, Mollie Jo Blahunka and PJ Hurley successful May 2022, aft they approved aliases attended a resistance show for students held connected field aft schoolhouse hours.

Students pinch nan Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) clubs astatine Ankeny High School and Southview Middle School hosted younker resistance performers from nan Central Iowa Youth Pride Pageant for nan schoolhouse clubs' last gathering of nan year, according to nan plaintiffs' complaint. Blahunka and Bjorklund were module sponsors for nan schoolhouse clubs, while Hurley was different coach invited by students to attend.

According to nan complaint, students voluntarily attended nan arena and "no 1 astatine nan arena was harmed aliases offended, nor was immoderate acquisition intent interrupted by immoderate portion of nan event."

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Three Ankeny, Iowa teachers person resolved a civilian authorities suit pinch their schoolhouse territory pursuing a contention complete a student-organized resistance show. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

The arena attracted contention aft clips of nan resistance capacity went viral, prompting Ankeny to motorboat an investigation.

Ankeny Community Schools said in a statement that nan arena was not approved by schoolhouse management and did "not travel nan correct protocols anterior to nan meeting."

The plaintiffs disputed this statement. In nan complaint, Blahunka alleged she said pinch nan Ankeny High School activities head astir nan students' desire to big an end-of-the-year ceremony connected field successful conjunction pinch nan Southview GSA club, and later reserved nan precocious schoolhouse auditorium for nan event.

According to nan Des Moines Register, each 3 teachers were put connected time off pursuing nan incident, pinch Bjorklund and Blahunka yet being suspended for a fewer days during nan pursuing schoolhouse year. All 3 labor were banned from sponsoring schoolhouse activities and threatened pinch termination for immoderate early violations, according to nan Des Moines Register. The teachers' suit besides claimed nan territory revenge morals charges pinch nan Iowa Board of Education, which yet dismissed nan charges.

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Three Iowa educators precocious reached a $150,000 colony pinch nan Ankeny Community School District aft being disciplined complete a student-led GSA resistance show. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The teachers sued, accusing nan territory of favoritism against their reside successful support of LGBTQ students and retaliation, successful usurpation of their First Amendment rights. The title besides says Blahunka identifies arsenic a queer woman, Hurley arsenic a cheery man and Bjorklund arsenic nan mother of a transgender child.

After a yearslong ineligible conflict successful some authorities and national court, nan 2 parties reached a colony conscionable earlier nan lawsuit was scheduled to spell to proceedings connected July 20.

According to nan Register report, nan territory agreed to salary each coach astir $27,700 positive $67,000 for attorneys' fees, totaling astir $150,000.

A spokesperson for nan schoolhouse territory said successful nan study that nan matter had been "resolved to nan restitution of each parties."

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Three teachers successful Iowa precocious won a colony against their schoolhouse territory aft suing for discrimination. (iStock via Getty Images)

Ankeny Community Schools and an lawyer for nan plaintiffs did not instantly return Fox News Digital's petition for comment.

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In May 2023, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed acquisition measure SF 496 into law, which critics branded nan "Don't opportunity LGBTQ law." The rule forbade schoolroom instruction connected gender personality and intersexual orientation for Kindergarten done sixth people students, required schoolhouse unit to notify parents if a student requested to usage a different sanction aliases pronoun, and banned books containing descriptions aliases depictions of activity acts from each K–12 schoolhouse libraries.