A Missouri state representative who represents Christian County is investigating the dismissal of two Springfield Public Schools high school teachers — and is tying the situation to legislation that would make it a felony for any teacher or counselor to offer support to a child regarding a social transition.
Rep. Jamie Gragg, R-Ozark, submitted a Sunshine Law request April 3 to the district asking for documents from Dec. 1, 2023 to April 3, 2024 pertaining to two teachers at Central High School.
In his request, Gragg put an emphasis on reviewing “all details” about the teachers’ removal from their employment, and named “Carey Bodenhousen” and “Victoria Rogers.”
Revealing such details would be a violation of both board policy and law, said Stephen Hall, chief communications officer for the district.
“Board policy and law limits the ability of us to provide those specific, beyond a confirmation of the name of an employee, the appointment dates and the status of their employment,” Hall said.
Gragg's request and the district’s response were released Tuesday by the district. The district posts all requests and its responses to its website.
According to a personnel report presented to board members in February, special education teacher Kerry Bodenhausen and communication arts teacher Victoria Rogers were included in a list of separations.
Hall confirmed that the two teachers' duties were cleared on Feb. 1. Bodenhausen’s employment ended on March 31, while Rogers’ term extends until May 23, the last day of school. Bodenhausen worked for the district starting in 2014, and Rogers started in 2006.
Gragg has not yet responded to requests from the Hauxeda asking for comment on his Sunshine Law request. His request is the first time a state official has made a Sunshine Law request since 2021, when then-attorney general Eric Schmitt filed several in regard to health and DEI matters.
The Daily Citizen has also reached out to both teachers, and will update this report if they reply.
Gragg’s request is tied to an allegation that appeared in The Lion, a conservative website operated by the Herzog Foundation. The website says it produces “articles covering a wide range of issues facing American families and culture, especially related to the education of children.”
In a story published April 3, Hall is reported as saying that the allegation being investigated by Gragg and The Lion “does not match any scenario we have investigated.”
Hall told the Daily Citizen that he gave that answer in response to a hypothetical question about whether two teachers had been fired for assisting a transgender student get a transition without parental involvement.
Gragg represents District 140, which encompasses Ozark and northeastern Christian County. Springfield Public Schools’ boundaries are within Greene County, and border Gragg’s district at the Greene-Christian county line.
Gragg has sponsored a bill that would make a crime out of what he accuses the two teachers of doing. HB 2885, in its current form, would make it a felony for any teacher or counselor to offer support to a child regarding social transition, and those found guilty would have to register as sex offenders. Social transition may involve wishing to change your name and/or pronouns, or change clothing or hairstyles to affect appearance, and may be related to interest in gender transition.
The bill has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing, and with only a few weeks left in the legislative session, is unlikely to pass.
