A former Des Moines Public Schools principal is suing the district, accusing officials there of denying her promotions and compensation and subjecting her to unfair discipline because of her ethnicity and gender.
Fairouz Bishara-Rantisi Martinez was named principal at Hoyt Middle School before the 2022-23 school year, after previously working as a principal in Waukee; Columbia, Missouri; and Lincoln, Nebraska. She was replaced for the 2025-26 school year by Alison Kennedy.
According to her complaint, filed in December and recently moved to federal court, Bishara-Rantisi was repeatedly passed over while applying for more senior positions in favor of less-qualified candidates. She claims that administrators accused her of being “too Latina” and having a “savior complex” toward her heavily minority students.
When she complained about safety concerns at Hoyt, she says, the district offered no assistance and instead faulted her for failing to properly manage staff, ultimately putting her on administrative leave and forcing her to resign.
In a statement, attorneys Amy Beck and David Albrecht said Bishara-Rantisi, who now works in a human resources position for the state, was a skilled and dedicated educator who was undermined by her employers.
“Dr. Bishara-Rantisi Martinez has dedicated more than two decades to serving students and families with integrity and passion,” her attorneys said. “She looks forward to presenting her case in court and remains committed to ensuring that all educators are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect.”
DMPS spokesman Phil Roeder said the district will “vigorously defend itself” and otherwise declined to comment.
Lawsuit alleges favoritism in hiring, pay
According to the complaint, Bishara-Rantisi first applied to the district in 2022 for the role of executive director of leadership and learning. The district initially told her it had decided to repost the position and conduct a national search, “implying that Fairouz was not considered a strong candidate,” but offered her the Hoyt position instead.
Months later, the suit says, Bishara-Rantisi noticed another Des Moines schools administrator, Timothy Schott, had been promoted to a position nearly identical to that for which she had applied, despite, in her view, having less relevant experience.
“Schott was simply a well-liked white man in the district,” she alleges.
Later, she applied for several more positions in district administration. She was denied each time, in some cases without being interviewed. When she applied to be the district’s director of middle schools, she alleges, the candidate chosen over her, Kabrina Johnson, had “remarkably less experience” than her, including having never served as a principal.
Bishara-Rantisi wrote she also found her pay was less than that of white male administrators of equal or lesser qualifications, and that other women of color also were affected by pay disparities. Although the district equalized pay for the 2023-24 school year, it did not make the changes retroactive, allegedly costing her an estimated $21,000 while also providing fewer sick days than she was entitled.
Forced out after ‘vague’ complaints
The complaint describes numerous cases in which Bishara-Rantisi felt unsupported or undermined, including failing to acknowledge significant awards earned by Hoyt during her tenure; imposing student discipline without consulting her and, she alleges, in violation of civil rights law; and accusing her vaguely of “failure to create a supportive environment” for Hoyt employees.
Bishara-Rantisi reported what she perceived to be a hostile work environment, but on Oct. 10, 2024, one day after being interviewed by the district’s investigator, she was told without investigation she was being put on leave, the suit says. She later learned a subordinate, with whom she believed she had a positive relationship, had filed a hostile environment claim against her, which she alleges was coordinated with Johnson to retaliate against her.
In November 2025, while on leave, Bishara-Rantisi filed an Iowa Office of Civil Rights complaint, which she says led to further acts of retaliation. In January 2025, despite not being provided details of her alleged misconduct, she was told she would be transferred to a “Principal on Special Assignment” position, which lacked clear duties or supervision.
In April 2025, the district investigated claims that Bishara-Rantisi had physically abused a student. The complaint alleges the investigation was legally and procedurally flawed and “appeared designed to build a case for terminating” ” her. The district reportedly determined the claim was founded and escalated it for further review.
Finally, Bishara-Rantisi says, she was told in May 2025 to resign or face termination.
The timeline of Bishara-Rantisi’s departure is not entirely clear. In a May 21, 2025, news release, the district stated that Bishara-Rantisi was leaving Hoyt and “accepting an administrative position with Des Moines Public Schools.” Eight days later, according to her complaint, she was ordered to resign. It’s not clear what position Bishara-Rantisi was supposedly taking, and both parties declined to comment on the sequence of events.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former Des Moines principal sues district alleging discrimination
Reporting by William Morris, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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