Lawmakers have actively questioned superintendents from the Chicago, San Francisco, and Loudoun County Public Schools about their district’s gender policies and parental rights. The discussions occurred during a U.S. House of Education and Workforce Committee hearing in Washington. Concerns centered around school staff’s interactions with parents concerning student gender transitions and the inclusion of activities such as “Drag Queen Story Hour.” The superintendents refuted allegations of concealing information from parents.
In a separate case, three Iowa teachers disciplined for their roles in a student-run drag show have reached a settlement following discrimination lawsuits against the Ankeny Community School District. The school district had investigated teachers Jill Bjorklund, Mollie Jo Blahunka, and PJ Hurley in May 2022. This was after they either approved or participated in a drag show held on school premises after hours. Students from the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) clubs at Ankeny High School and Southview Middle School organized the event, featuring performers from the Central Iowa Youth Pride Pageant.
The teachers claimed that students attended the event voluntarily, and no educational activities were disrupted.
Clips from the performance went viral, escalating the controversy and leading Ankeny to investigate. According to Ankeny Community Schools, the event was not sanctioned by school administrators and did not meet the required protocols. The teachers contested this claim, asserting they informed the Ankeny High School activities director about the event and booked the school auditorium for the occasion.
Following the incident, all three educators were put on administrative leave. Bjorklund and Blahunka faced temporary suspensions the subsequent school year. They were also prohibited from sponsoring school events and were warned about further penalties, including possible dismissal, for any future breaches. The school district also pursued ethics charges against them with the Iowa Board of Education, which later dismissed the claims.
The teachers filed a lawsuit, alleging discrimination and retribution in violation of their First Amendment rights. Blahunka identifies as queer, Hurley as a gay man, and Bjorklund is the mother of a transgender child. A lengthy legal process eventually led to an agreement before the trial date in July 2023.
As per reports, the settlement required the district to pay each teacher approximately $27,700 and cover $67,000 in attorney fees, totaling nearly $150,000. A district spokesperson commented that the issue was “resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.” However, neither the district nor the teachers’ attorney provided further comments.
Meanwhile, Iowa passed education bill SF 496, labeled the “Don’t say LGBTQ law” by critics, which restricts certain discussions in classrooms and enforces parental notification in cases of students requesting name or pronoun changes. The law also bans books with any sexual content from K–12 libraries.
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