Three Iowa Teachers Win $150,000 Settlement Over Student Drag Show Discipline

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 23

$150,000 will be paid by Ankeny Community School District to three teachers who sued after being disciplined over a student-led drag show, settling just before a July 20 trial.
The teachers said the district retaliated against them for supporting LGBTQ students and violated their First Amendment rights after a 2022 on-campus GSA event drew backlash when clips went viral.
Ankeny had placed all three on leave, suspended two for several days, barred them from sponsoring school activities and backed ethics charges that were later dismissed by the Iowa Board of Education.
The deal gives each teacher about $27,700 and covers roughly $67,000 in legal fees, with the district saying the dispute was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.
The settlement lands amid broader fights over school gender policies in Iowa and nationally, including Iowa's 2023 law restricting LGBTQ-related instruction and parent-notification rules.