DES MOINES, Iowa — A former Des Moines Public Schools principal has sued the district, alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
Dr. Fairouz Bishara-Rantisi Martinez served as the principal of Hoyt Middle School from July 2022 until October 2024, when she was placed on administrative leave.
In the lawsuit, which has been updated twice, Bishara-Rantisi says she applied for a total of four roles beginning in 2022 at Des Moines Public Schools, not including the Hoyt Middle School Principal position. Those roles were:
- Executive Director of Leadership and Learning (April 2022)
- Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning (July 2023)
- Chief Academic Officer (November 2023)
- Director of Middle Schools (December 2023)
For those positions, Bishara-Rantisi says the roles were consistently given to candidates who were less qualified than her. Bishara-Rantisi alleges the individuals hired often lacked a doctorate degree and had less experience in education and/or as an administrator than her. She also says she did not get specific feedback for why she was not selected for positions…