Minn. licensing board suspends Paula Gladbach’s educator license after ethics hearing

The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board voted to suspend the teaching licenses of Paula Gladbach after hearing oral argument from the educator ethics committee and Gladbach on April 25, 2025.

The educator ethics committee, represented by Assistant Attorney General Daniel Schubert, told the board that Gladbach had agreed in a 2024 stipulation and consent order to refrain from conduct that led to prior discipline but subsequently engaged in three additional incidents involving physical redirection of preschool students while employed in a Minnesota district. Schubert said the incidents were substantiated in the district’s investigation and included, among other things, yelling at and physically moving young students and an episode in which Gladbach “put her arms under the student’s arms and kicked the student’s legs” before carrying the child outside. Schubert asked the board to adopt the committee’s proposed order suspending Gladbach’s license under the terms of the earlier consent order.

Gladbach disputed the committee’s characterization in her oral argument. She told the board she believed the reports were retaliatory and described each incident as an attempt to protect students’ safety or to redirect behavior. Gladbach said she placed a box of tissues for an upset child and told a child to use a Kleenex, denied that vomiting occurred in one incident, and described carrying a child to the playground because she judged a wagon unsafe. “I was just trying to help and also get back to deal to work with my students,” Gladbach said during her remarks.

Board members asked questions about whether Gladbach had submitted a written response to the notice of alleged noncompliance. The committee and the board’s advising attorney clarified that the notice allowed—but did not require—a written response no later than three days before the hearing and that failure to submit a response gives the board discretion to deem allegations admitted. Schubert told the board he had not received a timely written response from Gladbach into the hearing record.

After hearing argument and receiving legal instructions, the board deliberated in closed session. When the board returned, it announced it had adopted findings of fact, conclusions of law and order suspending Gladbach’s licenses, consistent with the committee’s proposed order and the prior 2024 stipulation. The committee had recommended the suspension last through the stayed suspension period in the 2024 consent order, with the board’s order specifying that Gladbach would not be eligible to petition for reinstatement sooner than February 16, 2026, under the terms of the earlier stipulation.

The board’s public announcement did not list individual roll-call vote tallies on the suspension. The board said a written order explaining the findings and the effective discipline will be mailed to the parties.

The committee placed in the record district investigation documents, declarations from multiple school staff and a notice of contract termination and non‑renewal; Schubert referenced exhibits 1–5 to the committee’s declaration as supporting evidence.

Why it matters: The board enforces Minnesota educator licensing rules and handles discipline for licensed educators. The action suspends Gladbach’s ability to hold a Minnesota PELSB license until conditions in the Board’s order are satisfied, and the committee said the suspension is intended to protect students and uphold public confidence in the profession.

Next steps: The board will issue a written order. Either party may seek further legal review according to the procedures the board described at the hearing.