A Sioux City teacher accused of sending critical letters to her superintendent and other district leaders is appealing her firing.
Julie Fischer's petition for judicial review says the Sioux City Community School District board's decision to terminate her employment violated her First Amendment right to free speech.
Fischer is asking for a reversal of the board's decision, reinstatement and an award of back pay and benefits. No hearings have been scheduled.
The school board voted to fire Fischer even though a judge cleared her of criminal charges. (In March a judge dismissed six counts of harassment Fischer faced, saying the letters were free speech, not harassment.)
The board has said Fischer was not terminated because of the letters, but because she violated the district's Mandatory Cooperation in Workplace Investigation Policy and Code of Ethics.
The board ruled that Fischer made false statements and provided misleading information during the district's investigation.
Tonight, a special event is being held to educate the community about the dangers of social media.
The FBI reports every social media site has been used to target under-aged victims for sex.
Karen Mackey is the Executive Director of the Sioux City Human Rights Commission.
“Kids can get caught up so easily with people on social media and it’s really frightening what can happen with kids.”
The Human Rights Commission along with the Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking are hosting “Social Media Deep Dive - Stay a Step Ahead of Your Kids.”
“We hope parents will be there, aunts and uncles, grandparents and it would be great if there were kinds there. Especially the adults and trying to give some information they might need.”
A guest speaker from the Omaha “The Set Me Free Project” will highlight the gathering at the Sioux City Public Museum starting at 6 p.m.
If you are interested in attending please contact the Sioux City Human Rights Commission.
According to a new poll by the Des Moines Register, there’s a new top Democratic contender in the race for the party’s nomination.
The poll show potential caucus-goers pick Senator Elizabeth Warren above former Vice President Joe Biden but a slim margin of 2-percent.
Twenty-two percent picked Warren over the large field of candidates.