Stacy Bailey, left, and her wife, Julie Vazquez, during a press conference in May 2018 to announce the lawsuit against Mansfield ISD. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)

Art teacher Stacy Bailey and Mansfield I.S.D. have reached a settlement in her lawsuit against the district, according to Bailey’s attorney, Jason Smith. Smith said the school district approved details of the settlement during a meeting yesterday (Monday, Feb. 24), and that the settlement “is a win-win for Stacy and the educators and students in Mansfield ISD,” in that it addresses the district’s actions toward Bailey and provides for training on LGBTQ issues as well as promising a vote on adding protections for LGBTQ students and faculty to district policies.

Smith said Bailey would be making a statement about the settlement this afternoon at a press conference in Fort Worth, but in a press release this morning, Bailey said, “The agreements the district and I made in this settlement are a positive first step in making things better for gay employees, gay students and gay families in Mansfield.”

Bailey was an art teacher at MISD’s Charlotte Anderson Elementary and was twice selected teacher of the year. However, after Bailey showed a photo of her “future wife” along with photos of her family to students during a welcome to school presentation in August 2017, she was accused of promoting a “homosexual agenda” and, shortly afterward, suspended for more than eight months.

Bailey filed suit against Mansfield I.S.D. and then-superintendent Jim Vaszauskas in May 2018, asserting she had been discriminated against because of her sexual orientation in violation of the United States Constitution. In October of 2019, federal Judge Sam Lindsay ruled that the Constitution clearly protects 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,” Smith said.

According to the settlement approved yesterday by the MISD Board of Trustees, MISD agrees to withdraw the designation of “administrative leave” regarding Bailey’s eight-month suspension, and agrees that Bailey “may freely represent that she has not be suspended or investigated to districts to which she may apply for future employment.”

The district also agreed to provide mandatory training to human resources and counseling staff regarding LGBTQ issues in school, as part of the district’s social and emotional health training, and to offer optional training for administrators, educators, staff or parents who are interested. And the board agreed to vote within 60 days of the end of the current U.S. Supreme Court term on adding “a prohibition of ‘sexual orientation’ discrimination to its policies.”

The school district also agreed to provide Bailey with a letter of recommendation for “any future employers” and to pay Bailey and her attorney $100,000.

Bailey and her wife, Julie Vazquez, will donate $10,000 of the settlement to a non-profit addressing LGBTQ student issues, and Smith will donate $10,000 of his reduced fee to the Human Rights Campaign.

Bailey said she thanks Judge Lindsey for his ruling, her wife for her support, MISD Board 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 her “so much love and light as a teacher.”

— Tammye Nash