Former teacher accuses Polk County principal of discrimination

A former central Iowa school teacher is suing the Saydel Community School District for alleged gender discrimination.

Jacqueline Loew began working for Polk County’s Saydel Community School District in August 2019. She was employed as a high school English teacher, with Principal Kevin Schulte acting as her direct supervisor.

In February 2021, according to a lawsuit Loew has filed in Polk County District Court, Schulte began requiring some teachers, including Loew, to host extra study sessions for students. Loew scheduled a meeting with Schulte where was allegedly told she would not be compensated for the extra time related to study sessions outside of her contracted hours.

Later, Loew claims, she discovered Schulte had offered two male teachers the ability to complete the extra study sessions in return for additional compensation. When she asked Schulte about that, he emailed her and asked whether she was accusing him of sex discrimination, according to the lawsuit. Loew allegedly replied that she only wanted to be sure she was being treated fairly and receiving equal pay for equal work.

At a subsequent meeting, Schulte allegedly brought up Loew’s previous request for a letter of recommendation and told her that after her complaint of sex discrimination, he could no longer give her a recommendation – or at least not one that she would “want to use.”

When she later met with him, Schulte allegedly asked if she was recording the conversation, and when she said she was, he reportedly lectured her on the value of trust, said he was concerned about their professional relationship, and abruptly ended the meeting.

She later filed a formal grievance against Schulte for retaliation and harassment. The final report of a district equity coordinator allegedly acknowledged Schulte’s retaliation, but blamed Loew, citing the recording of conversations and her complaints about sex discrimination and retaliation.

In her lawsuit, Loew is seeking unspecified damages from the school district for gender discrimination and violations of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The district has yet to file a response to the lawsuit.