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Former education department employee to receive settlement in discrimination case

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Former education department employee to receive settlement in discrimination case


The state of Iowa will pay $440,000 to settle a 2022 disability discrimination case from a former employee of the Iowa Department of Education.

Amy Williamson, the former deputy director of the Iowa Department of Education, resigned from her position in 2022 after allegedly facing retaliation for complaining to the governor’s staff about civil rights violations within the agency.

State records indicate that before she resigned, Williamson had worked for the Iowa Department of Education since May 2007. In October 2020, she was promoted to deputy director of the agency. She remained in that position until she resigned in February 2022.

Williamson, at a 2022 hearing on her claim for unemployment benefits after leaving the Department of Education, recounted she had concerns with some of the department’s human resources policies in early 2021. She also alleged her concerns were not taken seriously by the then-director of the Iowa Department of Education Ann Lebo. Lebo resigned from the role in February 2023 and currently works in the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

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Williamson said Lebo later conducted an “employee review” to show she had not met certain mandatory deadlines. Williamson protested, arguing the deadlines had been met. She also alleged Lebo was “not pleased” after she relayed her concerns to the governor’s office in January 2022.

At the unemployment benefits hearing, Williamson said her role as deputy director was reduced after her meeting with Lebo. She was no longer responsible for managing K-12 education, and someone was to be hired to replace her in that role. Her oversight went from managing 138 people to supervising three administrative consultants and a secretary.

Two days after her duties were reduced, Williamson experienced gastrointestinal bleeding and was treated at an urgent care clinic and diagnosed with an acute stress reaction. Her doctor took her off work for six weeks.

While on medical leave, a job was posted for an administrator at the department with nearly identical duties to her position, including all of the responsibilities that had just been assigned to her by Lebo. She was advised by her doctor not to return to work because her illness was a direct result of work-related anxiety and stress.

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On Feb. 24, 2022, Williamson submitted a letter of resignation. She later applied for and was denied unemployment benefits. Williamson appealed the decision and the Department of Education did not participate in the hearing.

According to Iowa Assistant Attorney General Christopher Deist, the state agreed to settle the appeal for a total of $440,000. As part of the settlement, Williamson will receive a $59,000 payroll check, a $200,000 settlement check, and $180,000 payable to Fielder Law Firm to pay for attorney fees and litigation costs.

The Iowa Department of Education will also be reimbursed $4,517.68 for Williamson’s share of FICA taxes.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.



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Where to watch Iowa women’s basketball vs. Indiana today, TV, time

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Where to watch Iowa women’s basketball vs. Indiana today, TV, time


Looking for a second road win this week, No. 14 Iowa women’s basketball heads to Indiana for today’s 4 p.m. contest inside Assembly Hall. BTN will televise the game.

The Hawkeyes (13-2, 4-0 Big Ten Conference) remained perfect in league play with a 67-58 win at Northwestern on Jan. 5, a game in which Iowa survived despite enduring heavy foul trouble.

Meanwhile, Indiana (11-6, 0-5) has reached desperation territory. The Hoosiers have dropped four straight, including two at home, during this extended skid.

Here’s how to watch today’s game.

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  • Date: Sunday, Jan. 11
  • Start time: 4 p.m. CT
  • Location: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.



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Iowa women’s wrestling finishes third at National Duals

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Iowa women’s wrestling finishes third at National Duals


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CEDAR FALLS − The undefeated start to the Iowa women’s wrestling program has ended after the Hawkeyes lost a dual for the first time in program history at the NWCA National Duals on Jan. 10.

A 40-5 win over William Jewell College and a 39-3 victory over Sacred Heart set up a major semifinal clash with rival North Central College on Jan. 10.

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Iowa won six of 10 matches in the semifinals. Karlee Brooks beat national runner-up Yele Aycock by a 8-4 decision, 138-pounder Skye Realin defeated a former national champion by a 6-6 score on criteria in Claire Dicugno with a four-point throw at the buzzer, Reese Larramendy knocked off No. 1 ranked and former Hawkeye teammate Bella Mir in a 10-4 decision at 145 and 180-pounder Kylie Welker wrestled and won in just her second match back after a period of rest to start the season.

All of those wins helped put Iowa in front, 21-18, going into the final bout at 207 pounds.

What did the Hawkeyes in was losses by fall at 110, 124 and 207. The 207 loss, with Dasia Yearby pinning Jaycee Foeller in the first period, gave North Central a 23-21 victory despite the Cardinals dropping six of 10 matches. North Central also scored team points in nine of 10 bouts because they scored match points and did not lose by fall.

As a result, the Iowa program’s 42-0 unblemished record in duals was broken.

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The final result was eerily similar to the dual between the two teams at the same tournament two years ago, where the Hawkeyes also lost six of 10 bouts, but got crucial bonus points and at least one team point in all 10 bouts to escape with a 21-20 win.

Iowa women’s wrestling coach Clarissa Chun emphasized to her team two years ago that every point mattered in the win. This time around, it worked against them as the Cardinals got the upset victory.

“Every point does matter,” Chun said. “You can’t replicate those moments in those times, in certain moments and positions. We got to be better at finishing, that’s apparent. We can get to the legs, but we got to continue to wrestle through that to the strong finish.”

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Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central

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Chun said the emotions were raw afterwards, with wrestlers in and out of the lineup taking the loss to heart. Welker, who won her bout 8-2 against Jael Miller, took it hard since she nearly had a pin that could have flipped the final result.

“There was a lot of us that felt it was hard to take a loss, especially for me, and there was a couple other girls that took it pretty hard,” Welker said. “I have girls that look to me, so I’m like, ‘I got to pull myself together and step forward with them, alongside them so we can finish this tournament.’”

Ultimately, the Hawkeyes finished with a win in the third-place bout shortly after by defeating a solid Grand Valley State team, 26-15. The main difference, they said, was the positive energy exuded from the coaching staff to not harp on the past and look for the next best thing.

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Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central

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While the loss brings an unfamiliar feeling to the program, it’s something they knew would come eventually. While it was their main rival today, McKendree will also present a tough challenge to the field when the NCAA Championships come in March.

Behind stars Welker and Kennedy Blades, rising wrestlers like Brooks and Realin, as well as proven veterans in Larramendy, Brianna Gonzalez and Foeller, Iowa will have a good chance to win a third-consecutive team title this season.

Even in a crushing loss, they got some key wins from those like Realin, Larramendy and Brooks that bode well for the Hawkeyes in the future. The places they faltered were spots they’ll have confidence to bounce back or won’t apply come the NCAA Championships, like Nyla Valencia’s loss by fall after controlling most of the bout at 110 pounds, and Welker and Blades giving up team points in their matches.

Regardless, the third-place finish served as a reminder to the program and fans alike that this year is going to bring Iowa’s toughest challenge yet.

“Everyone on our team knows it, this sport has depth,” Chun said. “There are great wrestlers across the entire country.”

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Iowa women’s wrestling’s results at NWCA National Duals

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Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker’s National Duals press conference

VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker discusses program’s first loss

Round of 16: Iowa 40, William Jewell College 5

  • 103 – Sterling Dias (Iowa) over Juliana Alejandro (William Jewell College) TF 11-0
  • 110 – Nyla Valencia (Iowa) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
  • 117 – Alexandra Waitsman (William Jewell College) over Harlee Hiller (Iowa) Fall 1:04
  • 124 – Isabella Gonzales (Iowa) over Miyah Palacios (William Jewell College) TF 10-0
  • 131 – Emily Frost (Iowa) over Shelby Kemp (William Jewell College) Fall 1:22
  • 138 – Lilly Luft (Iowa) over Zainab Ibrahim (William Jewell College) Fall 2:01
  • 145 – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) over Mckinzie Ross (William Jewell College) TF 11-0
  • 160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Paige Barber (William Jewell College) TF 10-0
  • 180 – Katja Osteen (Iowa) over Jianna Chavez (William Jewell College) Fall 1:22
  • 207 – Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) over Desiree Hall (William Jewell College) TF 10-0

Quarterfinal: Iowa 39, Sacred Heart University 3

  • 103 – Valarie Solorio (Iowa) over Aaliyah Payne-Parris (Sacred Heart) Fall 0:54
  • 110 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) over Tiffany Stoshak (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 117 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Tatiana Walker (Sacred Heart) TF 11-0
  • 124 – Cali Leng (Iowa) over Lauren Nguyen (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 131 – Bella Williams (Iowa) over Bella Sowards (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 138 – Skye Realin (Iowa) over Elleahna Anderson (Sacred Heart) Fall 2:21
  • 145 – Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Selena Sifuentes shaffer (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Love Daley (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Madeline Hodges (Sacred Heart) TF 10-0
  • 207 – Josephine Larson (Sacred Heart) over Libby Dix (Iowa) Dec 5-2

Semifinal: North Central College 23, Iowa 21

  • 103 – Valarie Solorio (Iowa) over Brianne Graves (North Central College) TF 12-0
  • 110 – Kaelani Shufeldt (North Central College) over Nyla Valencia (Iowa) Fall 5:38
  • 117 – Riley Rayome (North Central College) over Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) Dec 3-3
  • 124 – Sara Sterner (North Central College) over Cali Leng (Iowa) Fall 1:45
  • 131 – Karlee Brooks (Iowa) over Yele Aycock (North Central College) Dec 8-4
  • 138 – Skye Realin (Iowa) over Claire Dicugno (North Central College) Dec 6-6
  • 145 – Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Bella Mir (North Central College) Dec 10-4
  • 160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Taylor Graveman (North Central College) TF 11-1
  • 180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Jael Miller (North Central College) Dec 8-2
  • 207 – Dasia Yearby (North Central College) over Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) Fall 1:38

Third-place dual: Iowa 26, Grand Valley State 15

  • 103 – Sterling Dias (Iowa) over Rayana Sahagun (Grand Valley State) Dec 7-0
  • 110 – Ava Bayless (Iowa) over Kiely Tabaldo (Grand Valley State) Dec 6-0
  • 117 – Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Libby Roberts (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
  • 124 – Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) over Isabella Gonzales (Iowa) Fall 0:37
  • 131 – Karlee Brooks (Iowa) over Aspen Blasko (Grand Valley State) Dec 8-3
  • 138 – Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) over Lilly Luft (Iowa) TF 10-0
  • 145 – Cadence Diduch (Iowa) over Margaret Buurma (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
  • 160 – Kennedy Blades (Iowa) over Noelle Gaffney (Grand Valley State) Fall 3:45
  • 180 – Kylie Welker (Iowa) over Maddison Ward (Grand Valley State) TF 10-0
  • 207 – Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State) over Jaycee Foeller (Iowa) Fall 4:47

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.





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Ben Kueter earns top-10 in return to Iowa men’s wrestling lineup

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Ben Kueter earns top-10 in return to Iowa men’s wrestling lineup








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Iowa heavyweight Ben Kueter is back and feels better than ever | The Gazette






























































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