High school teacher fired after offering students extra credit in return for cash donations, reports say

(Gray News) - An Iowa high school teacher has been fired for offering students extra credit in return for cash donations to her personal GoFundMe account.

Stephanie Mullaley, a teacher at a high school in the Clinton Community School District, told students in spring 2026 that she had set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for what she described as “personal education goals,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.

Mullaley allegedly told her students that she had set up a the fundraiser to help pay for her education, adding that if they made cash donations to her account they could earn extra credit toward their grade in her class.

Some students in the class contributed funds to the GoFundMe account, according to Administrative Law Judge Duane Golden. Because of the extra credit incentive, students felt pressured to donate money to the GoFundMe.

Donations, she allegedly wrote would be used to pay for “transportation, including flights, buses, and boats, food and hotel accommodations.”

She was fired on May 29, 2026, for allegedly violating the district’s ethics policy.

Golden denied Mullaley’s request for unemployment benefits, ruling that her conduct amounted to job-related misconduct and demonstrated a “willful or wanton disregard” of her employer’s interests, rendering her ineligible for benefits.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch could not reach Mullaley for comment.

The account had a fundraising goal of $1,800 and netted $140 through six donations ranging from $5 to $50 before activity on the account was paused.