A high school teacher in Iowa’s Clinton Community School District was fired on May 29, 2026, after offering students extra credit in exchange for cash donations to her personal GoFundMe. Stephanie Mullaley set up the fundraiser for what she described as “personal education goals,” listing transportation, food, and hotel accommodations, with a goal of $1,800. Six students donated between $5 and $50, netting $140 before the account was paused.
Administrative Law Judge Duane Golden later found that students felt pressured to donate. In denying Mullaley unemployment benefits, Golden ruled her conduct was job-related misconduct and a “willful or wanton disregard” of the district’s interests. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that Mullaley could not be reached for comment.
The story lands differently here on the Suncoast, where so many families move for the schools, and where teachers are already juggling rising costs and tight budgets. Nobody disputes that educators deserve better pay and more support. The question this case raises is a different one: where is the line between asking for help and using the classroom as a fundraising platform? Grades are supposed to measure learning, full stop. What do you think should happen when that trust is broken?
