The firing of a Hempstead High School teacher in 2023 for using a racial slur in front of students has been upheld by the Iowa Court of Appeals. The ruling reverses a lower court’s decision.
The appeals court ruled the Dubuque Community School District had just cause to fire Roger Poling after an incident. The district placed Poling on administrative leave before terminating his teaching contract.
In the incident, Poling was accused of repeating the slur at a student who first directed the slur at him. The appeals court ruled it didn’t matter whether the student used the slur first.
