Three teachers in Iowa who faced discipline for their involvement in a student-led drag show have reached a settlement with the Ankeny Community School District, resolving a civil rights lawsuit. The agreement, totaling approximately $150,000, was finalized before the case was scheduled to go to trial on July 20.
The teachers, Jill Bjorklund, Mollie Jo Blahunka, and PJ Hurley, filed discrimination and retaliation claims against the district. The lawsuit stemmed from events in May 2022, when students from the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) clubs at Ankeny High School and Southview Middle School hosted youth drag performers for an after-school club meeting. Blahunka and Bjorklund served as faculty sponsors for the clubs, and Hurley was another teacher invited by students to attend.
According to the teachers' complaint, students voluntarily attended the event, and no one was harmed or offended. The complaint also stated that students had reserved the high school auditorium for the event after Blahunka discussed the plan with the activities director. The district, however, stated that the event was not approved by administration and did not follow proper protocols.
Following a controversy that arose after clips of the drag performance went viral, the Ankeny school district launched an investigation. As a result, Bjorklund and Blahunka were suspended for a few days during the subsequent school year. All three teachers were reportedly banned from sponsoring school activities and were threatened with termination for any future violations. The lawsuit also noted that the district filed ethics charges with the Iowa Board of Education, which were eventually dismissed.
The teachers, who identify as supporters of LGBTQ+ students—Blahunka as a queer woman, Hurley as a gay man, and Bjorklund as the mother of a transgender child—argued that the district's actions violated their First Amendment rights. The settlement includes payments of approximately $27,700 to each teacher, along with $67,000 for attorneys' fees.
A spokesperson for the Ankeny Community School District stated that the matter had been "resolved to the satisfaction of all parties."
In May 2023, Iowa enacted education bill SF 496, which limits classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for younger students, requires parental notification if a student requests to use a different name or pronoun, and restricts certain books in school libraries. Critics have referred to this legislation as the "Don't say LGBTQ law."