Lawmakers criticize school district leaders over gender policies and parental rights
In a recent hearing by the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, lawmakers expressed strong disapproval toward the superintendents of public schools in Chicago, San Francisco, and Loudoun County regarding their gender policies and issues relating to parental rights. They raised concerns about the lack of communication between school staff and parents, particularly regarding topics such as student gender transitions and events like “Drag Queen Story Hour.” The superintendents have denied allegations of withholding information from parents.
Iowa teachers settle discrimination lawsuit over student-led drag show
Three teachers from Iowa who faced disciplinary action for facilitating a student-led drag show have come to a settlement regarding their discrimination lawsuit against the Ankeny Community School District.
The district started investigating teachers Jill Bjorklund, Molly Jo Brafunka, and PJ Hurley in May 2022 after they allegedly allowed or attended after-school drag shows for students at their schools. According to the complaint, students from the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) clubs invited youth drag performers from the Central Iowa Youth Pride Pageant to the clubs’ final meetings. Brafunka and Bjorklund were the teacher sponsors while Hurley was invited by students to join.
The legal complaint asserts that student participation was voluntary and that “no one attending the event was harmed or offended, and no part of the event disrupted the educational purpose.”
The controversy intensified when a video clip of the drag performance spread online, leading Ankeny to initiate an investigation. The school district stated that the event hadn’t been sanctioned by administrators and that “proper procedures were not followed prior to the meeting.”
However, the plaintiffs countered that Brafunka had discussed the students’ desire to organize an end-of-year celebration with the school’s activities director and had booked the auditorium accordingly.
Following the incident, all three teachers were put on administrative leave, and Bjorklund and Brafunka received brief suspensions during the following school year. Reports indicate that they were also restricted from sponsoring future school activities and faced possible termination for any future violations. The lawsuit claims the district even filed an ethics complaint with the Iowa State Board of Education, which was later dismissed.
These educators filed a lawsuit arguing that the district violated their First Amendment rights through discriminatory actions and retaliation for their support of LGBTQ students. Notably, Brafunka identifies as a gay woman, Hurley as a gay man, and Bjorklund as the parent of a transgender child.
After lengthy legal proceedings in state and federal courts, a settlement was reached just before a trial originally scheduled for July 20. The settlement amounts to around $150,000, with each teacher receiving approximately $27,700, in addition to $67,000 allocated for attorney fees.
A spokesperson for the district commented that the matter was “resolved to the satisfaction of all involved.” Ankeny Community Schools and the plaintiffs’ attorneys did not reply immediately to inquiries for comments.
In related news, in May 2023, Iowa’s Governor Kim Reynolds enacted an education bill, SF 496, which garnered criticism and was labeled as restricting discussions around LGBTQ topics. The law mandates that primary school educators notify parents if a student wishes to use a different name or pronoun and prohibits discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
