Teacher sacked after offering pupils extra credit in exchange for donations towards her trip to Ecuador
Earlier this year, a substitute teacher was struck from her role after allegedly pressuring her students into donating cash.
Stephanie Mullaley had a full-time, long-term role at the Clinton Community School District in Iowa, US, until 29 May.
But it is said she allegedly violated the school district’s ethics policy when she was asking the pupils to donate money to her GoFundMe. In return, she allegedly would offer them extra credit points, as reported by local outlet, the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Mullaley had created the donation page in order to fund her ‘personal education goals’ to go away with her husband Nick, to Ecuador in July with a target goal set for $1,800 (£1,360).
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“Nick & I are embarking on a journey this summer with a medical mission group,” she wrote on a Facebook post.
“This was only a thought a year ago, and it became real when we got an official invitation end of 2025,” she wrote, linking the since-deleted fundraiser.
“Feels like a blessing to have an opportunity to serve a community in need of medical service and utilize my skills and serve. God put this in place for us, and we’re answering it.
“Hope to have your support, and if you can’t financially, we understand and just keep us in your prayers.”
The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that Administrative Law Judge Duane Golden found that: “[Mullaley] promised high school students in her class that they would receive extra credit toward their grade in her class if they donated to her GoFundMe account.
“Students felt pressured to donate money to her personal GoFundMe page.”
It’s reported that she only ended up with six donations on the page, ranging from $5 (£3.78) to $50 (£37.79). And the outlet reports that some of the class did contribute money, according to Golden’s findings.
Golden described it that the district found the teacher was ‘using her position as a teacher to pressure students to donate funds’ and as a result, fired her.
The judge also denied her request for unemployment benefits and ruled that her conduct amounted to job-related misconduct. It is described that it also demonstrated a 'willful or wanton disregard' and she therefore wasn't eligible for benefits.
Mullaley's GoFundMe page allegedly said donations would be used to pay for 'transportation, including flights, buses, and boats, food and hotel accommodations' on the medical mission.
The LADbible Group has contacted Clinton Community School District for comment.
Jess Battison