Who is Hannah Hoxie? Des Moines Public School teacher sparks outrage over controversial post about kids 

Hannah Hoxie, an elementary school teacher at Des Moines Public School, is under fire over a controversial social media post referencing students. The recent post featuring Hoxie, a Monroe elementary school teacher wearing a pro-LGBTQ shirt, alongside a caption, “Every day is another opportunity to force kids in public schools to be gay ” has sparked outrage online.

Netizens found the post to be in poor taste despite Hoxie insisting it was in jest. In the wake of the criticism from conservative social media users, Hoxie deleted her post alongside her Facebook and Twitter accounts as netizens began trolling her online.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the controversy, the calls to fire Hannah Hoxie have intensified online. Netizens targeted Des Moines Public School's Twitter account to express their outrage and demand the resignation of their employee. A social media user said:

“How much more evidence do we need to give to the people that say that this stuff isn’t happening before they actually begin to believe us so we can take action against this nonsense inside of schools? This is absurd that this has gotten this far. We have to stand together to do something about this!”

Several echoed the statement on X, formerly known as Twitter:

On the heels of the backlash, Des Moines Public Schools turned off comments on X and deleted Hoxie's profile on their website.

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Hannah Hoxie defends the social media posts about kids

As Hannah Hoxie faced widespread criticism for the post, she defended it by stating it was in jest seemingly ridiculing a new state law that restricts the instruction of LGBTQ topics in schools over conservatives belief that schools purportedly indoctrinate students via topics like critical race theory and gender studies.

Supporters of a bill restricting LGBTQ-related content argue that parents should be allowed to determine their children’s access to such information as it’s “inappropriate” for kids. In March 2023, Iowa state Rep. Skyler Wheeler, the Republican who sponsored the state’s parental rights law, told the Des Moines Register.

“Parents deserve the first say on when and how certain social topics are introduced to their children. Parents should be able to send their children to school and trust they are being educated, not indoctrinated.”

Meanwhile, Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the country, said the laws have created a culture of fear among teachers across the country. He told NBC News:

“We are in a moment where our students are under assault, teachers and other educators are under assault, parents are under assault. People are afraid. They’re afraid for their livelihood. They’re afraid for their lives.”

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Des Moines Public Schools issues apology over Hannah Hoxie's post

The superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools apologized for a social media post from Hannah Hoxie. While the school did not name the teacher, they said it was wrong for the educator to make the post. The superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts said:

"This shouldn't need to be said but perhaps it must: our schools and teachers are focused on providing a quality education to our students, which does not include encouraging or forcing any student to identify with any specific sexual orientation.”

The school refused to disclose further details about the teacher, stating that there have been threats of violence against the employee.