Suspended lesbian teacher reaches settlement with district
An elementary school teacher who was suspended after telling students about her "future wife" has reached a settlement with the school district, ending a nearly three-year battle. Stacy Bailey, who taught at Charlotte Anderson Elementary in Mansfield, Texas, was suspended in 2017, CBS DFW reports.
Bailey, who was named "Teacher of the Year" twice, showed a photo of her "future wife" and family during a welcome-to-school presentation. She was accused of promoting a "homosexual agenda" and then suspended for more than eight months. Her suspension also came after she asked for LGBTQ protections in the district, according to CBS DFW.
In May 2018, Bailey sued Mansfield Independent School District (ISD) and then-Superintendent Jim Vaszauskas. She said she was discriminated against due to her sexual orientation, in violation of the United States Constitution.
In October of 2019, a federal judge ruled that the Constitution clearly protected Bailey's right to be free from sexual orientation discrimination. "The Judge's decision in this case sends a message to school districts all across this country: The Constitution protects gay teachers from discrimination," Bailey's attorney Jason Smith said.
The district's board of trustees will vote on whether to add a prohibition of "sexual orientation" discrimination to its policies within 60 days of the end of the Supreme Court term, CBS DFW reports.
In a press release sent to the station, Bailey thanked "Judge Lindsey for his ruling, her wife for her support, Mansfield ISD President Karen Marcucci for showing leadership in her work to resolve the case, teachers and parents for showing their support, and the students of Charlotte Anderson elementary for showing Stacy so much love and light as a teacher."
In a statement to CBS News, the district's Associate Superintendent of Communications and Marketing Donald Williams said the board voted on the agreement in an "amicable and beneficial manner."
"All parties deny any wrongdoing or liability, but wish to resolve their disputes to avoid the time, expense, stress and other impacts of continuing litigation, which would interfere with the mission of educating the students of MISD," the statement read.
CBS News has reached out to Bailey and her lawyer, Jason Smith, and is awaiting response.
The , Stow said she was fortunate to work in an accepting school district that offers protections for LGBTQ staff and students, and spoke about the impact that has.
"My students and my colleagues know. Because if I don't live out and proud, I just perpetuate that it's something to be shameful of, and it's not," she said. "I'm no different than anybody else. I love who I love — and love is love."
"And that's important because if students don't feel safe, they don't excel as they could if they were feeling safe," Stow said.
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