Linn-Mar school board member Matt Rollinger resigns

MARION — Linn-Mar school board member Matt Rollinger resigned from the board Friday in a letter more than a year before the end of his term.

Rollinger, who was first elected in November 2021, did not cite a reason for his resignation in a letter to the board read by President Barry Buchholz during a school board meeting Monday. Rollinger was not present at the meeting.

The vacancy will be filled by appointment by the school board. Information about how to apply can be found online beginning Thursday at linnmar.k12.ia.us.

The deadline for those interested in a seat on the Linn-Mar school board to submit their application and resume is Feb. 21, by 4 p.m. A motion to appoint a new school board member will be made Feb. 26, by the Linn-Mar school board.

The term expires at the next school board election in November 2025.

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Residents can force a special election by filing a petition within 14 days of a school board member’s resignation — or Feb. 16. The petition has to be signed by 30 percent of the turnout of the last school board election, which is 2,407 signatures, said Matt Warfield, Linn County deputy auditor.

A special election would cost $35,000, the auditor’s office estimates.

Buchholz said Rollinger’s resignation came as a “surprise” and was a “personal decision” made by Rollinger.

“He didn’t think about it quickly. It was a major decision for him. We appreciate his time as an elected official,” Buchholz said, echoing other board members who thanked Rollinger for his service.

In his letter, Rollinger thanked the community for allowing him to serve as a school board member for more than two years.

“I can only apologize to them for not being able to complete my term on the board,” Rollinger wrote in his letter read by Buchholz. “The position has allowed me to gain substantial knowledge, and I hope to continue to serve my community in other capacities in the future. I pray for nothing but success for the district, the community and Linn-Mar.”

Linn-Mar’s gender policy

During his term, Rollinger opposed a now-defunct policy that was intended to protect transgender students from discrimination. The policy spelled out inclusive practices for transgender students, including giving students access to restrooms, locker rooms or changing areas that correspond with their gender identity.

Buchholz voted in opposition to the policy, but it was approved in a 5-2 vote.

Shortly after the policy was adopted in May 2022, Rollinger was invited to a private meeting with Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson. Rollinger did not alert the rest of the school board and said he did not go as a school board representative.

Rollinger was chastised by the rest of the board for not making them aware of the meeting beforehand.

“If you got an email inviting you to a meeting that specifically said it was in regard to the district and didn’t tell any of us, that’s the part that gets sketchy for me. We're supposed to share information concerning the district. It’s in our guidelines; it’s in our ethics,” then-school board President Brittania Morey said at the time.

Morey was recently reelected in November but is no longer board president.

During the meeting with the governor, about 40 people spoke about their concerns about new policies. The event was not open to the media, and the governor's spokesperson said the meeting was private.

In August 2022, a parent group sued the Linn-Mar Community School District, superintendent and board members over the policies, asserting that they violated parents’ rights to consent and students’ rights to express a different opinion.

In September 2023, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a portion of the policy — which requires “respect” — was “too vague” and enforcement of that portion of the policy was banned.

The group’s other complaint about the policy — that it prevented notification of parents when their child was given a gender support plan or assumed a transgender status — was moot with the passage of Senate File 496.

That bill, which was signed into law last year, prohibits a school district from knowingly giving “false or misleading information to a parent or guardian of their child’s gender identity or intention to transition” to a different gender than listed on the student’s birth certificate.

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