Hunter
07/04/24
A special education aide working for the Muscatine Public School system has been denied unemployment benefits after being fired for posting a video on social media showing him masturbating.
Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Wyatt L. Mason began working for the Muscatine Community School District as a full-time special-education aide in September 2023. On February 16th, the district became aware that at some point in time, a video had been posted to Mason’s public Twitter account showing him masturbating. He was fired four days later.
An Iowa Workforce Development representative later determined there was no evidence of willful misconduct and said he was entitled to unemployment benefits. The district appealed, citing policy that prohibits social media posts that disrupt the educational process or put at risk a worker’s effectiveness as a school district employee.
During a recent hearing, Administrative Law Judge Carly Smith denied benefits to Mason. In her ruling, she said Mason, quote, “intentionally filmed himself masturbating and then deliberately posted the video on his Twitter account. This account was public so students or family members of the students could view the video. This violated the employer’s social media policy and the employee conduct policy.”