Nebraska Teacher of the Year: Board Member ‘Bullying’ Me Over Drag Story Hour

Nebraska’s teacher of the year is accusing a conservative member of the state Board of Education of bullying her because she attended a drag-queen story hour at a conference. Kirk Penner, the board member, has publicly criticized Lincoln High School Teacher Renee Jones online several times, most recently last week, the Omaha World-Herald reported. On Sunday, Jones tweeted back: “Kirk Penner is teaching Nebraskans that is it okay to bully, harass, and spread lies about people who do not share the same opinion as you.” Jones also said Penner has twisted the words in her own social media posts. “I support the LGBTQ community. I also respect that Mr. Penner and I have different opinions on Drag Queen Story Hour,” she wrote said. “However, his actions have caused defamatory statements to occur.”