Stephanie Mullaley, a substitute teacher in Iowa’s Clinton Community School District, was fired after offering her students extra credit if they donated to her GoFundMe account for a trip to Ecuador. The incident occurred during the 2025-26 school year when Mullaley shared details about her personal fundraiser with her class and suggested that donations could earn them academic rewards. The district terminated her on May 29, citing violation of its ethics policy. An administrative law judge ruled against Mullaley’s claim for unemployment benefits, determining that her actions constituted job-related misconduct.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-01,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Stephanie Mullaley, a full-time substitute teacher at the Clinton Community School District in Iowa, was fired in May 2025 after offering students extra credit to donate money to her personal GoFundMe page. The donations were intended to fund a medical mission trip to Ecuador. During a hearing about her unemployment benefits request, Administrative Law Judge Duane Golden revealed that Mullaley shared her "personal education goals" with her pupils and promised them extra credit if they contributed to the fundraiser. Although some students donated money, she only managed to raise $140 out of her target $1800 before the campaign was deleted. The district terminated Mullaley's employment after discovering that she used her position to pressure students into donating funds, violating the district’s ethics policy.
Written for “Teacher Fired Over GoFundMe Extra Credit” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
A substitute teacher in Iowa was fired after she offered her students extra credit if they donated to her online fundraiser for a trip to Ecuador.
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they → fire → Ecuador
Stephanie Mullaley was terminated from her position as a full-time, long-term substitute high school teacher for the Clinton Community School District on May 29 for allegedly violating the district's ethics policy, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports.
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Dispatch → terminate → policy
That decision came after she shared her 'personal education goals' with her students during the 2025-26 school year, according to Administrative Law Judge Duane Golden, who presided over a recent hearing on Mullaley's request for unemployment benefits.
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who → come → benefits
He claimed in court documents that Mullaley told her students that she had set up a GoFundMe to help pay for her education – and told them that if they made donations they could earn extra credit toward their grade in her class.
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they → claim → class
Some of the students wound up donating, according to Golden's findings.
When district officials then discovered that Mullaley was 'using her position as a teacher to pressure students to donate funds' they fired the substitute teacher, Golden wrote as he denied the teacher's request for unemployment benefits.
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he → wind → benefits
He ruled that her decision to offer students extra credit in exchange for donations amounted to job-related misconduct and demonstrated a 'willful or wanton disregard' of her employer's interests, rendering her ineligible for benefits.
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her → rule → benefits
She had 'promised high school students in her class that they would receive extra credit toward their grade in her class if they donated to her GoFundMe account, the judge concluded.
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judge → promise → account
'Students felt pressured to donate money to her personal GoFundMe page,' he added.
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he → pressure → page
Stephanie Mullaley was terminated from her position as a full-time, long-term substitute high school teacher for the Clinton Community School District on May 29.
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Mullaley → terminate → May
She is pictured with her husband
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She → picture → husband
District officials discovered that Mullaley was 'using her position as a teacher to pressure students to donate funds'
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Mullaley → discover → funds
Mullaley promoted the online fundraiser for her and her husband's trip to Ecuador on social media Source:
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Mullaley → promote → media
Online records obtained by the Iowa Capital Dispatch show a Stephanie Mullaley of Clinton launched a GoFundMe account earlier this year to pay for what she described as 'a unique opportunity to travel to Ecuador' with her husband in July 2026.
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she → obtain → July
Mullaley indicated on the now-defunct fundraising page that she would be 'interpreting for a medical mission team [and] helping bridge language barriers so that care and compassion can reach those who need it most,' noting that her husband would be 'assisting the team in any way he can.'
Donations, she wrote, would be used to pay for 'transportation, including flights, buses and boats, food and hotel accommodations.'
She then promoted the fundraiser on social media.
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She → indicate → media
'This was only a thought a year ago and it became real when we got an official invitation end of 2025,' she posted on February 26.
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she → become → February
She added that it 'feels like a blessing to have an opportunity to serve a community in need of medical service and utilize my skills and serve.
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it → add → skills
'God put this in place for us and we're answering it,' she noted.
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she → put → it
'Hope to have your support and if you can't financially, we understand and just keep us in your prayers.'
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we → hope → prayers
The fundraiser had a goal of raising $1,800, but it only netted $140 through six donations before activity on the account was paused, according to the Capital Dispatch.
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activity → have → Dispatch
It is unclear whether the couple went on the mission trip.
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couple → go → trip
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mullaley and the Clinton Community School District for comment.
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Mail → reach → comment
The Aporia
