High School substitute teacher fired after offering extra credit for GoFundMe donations
Por Isabel Keane — – World RSS Feed
High School substitute teacher fired after offering extra credit for GoFundMe donations
The school district said the substitute teacher was ‘using her position as a teacher to pressure students to donate funds’
Isabel Keane in New York Wednesday 30 September 2026 21:44 BST
- Bookmark
- Comments Go to comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popover
open image in gallery
Become an Independent member to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
Already a member?
Log in
Your support helps us to tell the story
Read more Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference. Read more
An Iowa high school substitute teacher was fired after offering students extra credit in exchange for cash donations to a personal GoFundMe.
Stephanie Mullaley was a full-time substitute teacher for the Clinton Community School District until she was fired in May over violations of the district’s ethics policy, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
During a recent hearing related to Mullaley’s request for unemployment benefits, Administrative Law Judge Duane Golden said the educator set up a GoFundMe to help fund her “personal education goals.”
Mullaley reportedly shared those goals with her students during the 2025-26 school year — and told her pupils they could donate to the GoFundMe to earn extra credit toward their grade.
Some of Mullaley’s students contributed to the fundraiser, according to Golden, who said the district eventually discovered that she was “using her position as a teacher to pressure students to donate funds” and fired her.
open image in galleryThe judge denied Mullaley’s request for unemployment benefits, arguing that her actions amounted to job-related misconduct.
He argued that Mullaley showed a “willful or wanton disregard” of the school district’s interests — making her ultimately ineligible for benefits.
Mullaley “promised high school students in her class that they would receive extra credit toward their grade in their class if they donated to her GoFundMe account. Students felt pressured to donate money to her personal GoFundMe,” Golden said.
In the GoFundMe, which reportedly had a target of $1,800, Mullaley wrote that the funds would be used to pay for “a unique opportunity to travel to Ecuador” with her husband in July 2026, according to the report.
She indicated on the fundraising page that she would be “interpreting for a medical mission team (and) helping bridge language barriers so that care and compassion can reach those who need it most.”
She added that her husband would be “assisting the team in any way he can.”
The donations would be used to pay for “transportation, including flights, buses, and boats, food and hotel accommodations,” she wrote. She reportedly received a total of $140 through six donations ranging from $5 to $50.
The Independent ‘s attempts to contact Mullaley were unsuccessful.
More about
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Most popular
Popular videos
Bulletin
Read next
Fonte: – World RSS Feed
