Dubuque Hempstead teacher’s termination for using a racist epithet overturned by district court | Dubuque

DUBUQUE, Iowa (KWWL) – A teacher from Dubuque Hempstead ended after using a Racial slur in front of a black student in May 2023 was reinstated after a district court decision.

Roger Poling, a business education teacher, was seen on video saying the insult. According to district court records, Poling repeated a racist comment a student made to him and did not refer to the student as such an insult. Instead, the documents say he wanted to emphasize how derogatory it was for a student to make that statement to anyone.

The court filing addressed the viral social media video of the incident, saying it was only a “snapshot” of the situation and lacked context.

The filing alleges that the Dubuque Community District School Board did not issue Poling’s termination based on proper standards and therefore reversed his termination.

They claim the school board failed to issue subpoenas, admitted hearsay, failed to cross-examine, and more.

Poling is now rehired as a teacher and receives full benefits and salary plus interest.

Poling’s attorney claims the school district knew Poling repeated the insults the student said to him when he was fired from the district.

The Dubuque Community School District could appeal the case to the Iowa Supreme Court. The school district released a statement to KWWL about the decision.

They said: “The Dubuque Community School District is obviously disappointed with the Iowa District Court’s decision and we believe the board acted appropriately in this matter. We are working with the District’s legal counsel to review the decision in its entirety and determine next steps, including discussing possible appeals of the decision. The district will provide further comment as the review and subsequent decision on next steps are finalized.