Appeals court upheld Hempstead teacher’s firing

The Iowa Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld the firing of a Dubuque Hempstead High School teacher who used a racial slur when talking to a student. The District court ruled there was insufficient evidence of just cause to fire teacher Roger Poling, and said a clip on social media impacted the reaction to the incident. The Appeals Court ruling says there is plenty of evidence that Poling made an inappropriate statement to a student and  “the swirl of social media” was not the reason for the superintendent’s recommendation to fire him. It says Poling’s conduct impaired his ability to serve as a role model and to maintain effective interactions with students and his colleagues, and justified the decision to fire Poling.