Minnesota educator licensing board revokes, suspends and denies multiple teaching licenses after closed deliberations

The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board on Feb. 21, 2025 adopted a series of findings of fact, conclusions of law and final orders resolving multiple disciplinary and licensure matters, including the revocation of Barbara A. Nelson's teaching license.

At a public meeting held in part by electronic means, board members moved into closed session to deliberate on cases after hearing oral argument from the educator ethics committee. Assistant Attorney General David Cullen appeared for the educator ethics committee; the committee sought a default order in at least one contested matter because licensees did not participate in the administrative proceedings. "The committee requests respectfully that the board issue an order revoking [the licensee's] teaching license," Cullen told the board during oral argument. The board then returned from closed session and announced the adopted actions.

Why it matters: These are final disciplinary outcomes that affect individual teachers' ability to hold Minnesota teaching licenses and are recorded as board orders. The actions also illustrate the board's formal process for default proceedings and use of administrative-law records when licensees do not participate.

What the board said and found The educator ethics committee told the board that in the matter of Barbara A. Nelson, the committee sought a default order after the licensee did not participate in the Office of Administrative Hearings case. The committee summarized allegations that the licensee, while serving as a special education teacher on 11/29/2023, physically held a student and then slapped the student three times after the student struck the teacher with the back of his head. The committee said the Minnesota Department of Education determined on 12/29/2023 that the licensee had subjected the student to maltreatment by physical abuse. The committee told the board the administrative law judge recommended discipline by default and that, because the licensee did not appear, the allegations are deemed true for the purpose of the recommendation.

Following deliberation, the board announced it had adopted findings of fact, conclusions of law and orders in a number of cases described publicly by staff. The board announced the following dispositions (as read on the public record): revocation for Barbara A. Nelson; denials of several renewal applications; surrenders, suspensions (several on one-year terms), a three-year stayed suspension in one case, and other outcomes enumerated below. The board did not hear argument from Ms. Nelson or anyone representing her, and staff confirmed the licensee had been notified of the proceeding but was not present.

Votes at a glance (board announcements) - Barbara A. Nelson — teaching license revoked (board adopted findings of fact, conclusions of law and order). - Multiple licensees (named on the record) — stipulation agreement and consent orders resulting in one-year state suspensions (examples read on the record: Ross Ashburn; Rachel Ferguson; Jeremy Hoggle; Gregory Stein — one-year suspension; others listed). - Several renewal applications denied (examples read on the record: Melissa Kobing's renewal denied; Eric [surname not fully specified] renewal denied). - One license surrender accepted (John Taylor). - One license suspended with a three-year stayed suspension (name read on the record; transcript records a stayed three-year suspension).

The board read a sequence of adopted orders on the public record immediately after returning from closed session; the board indicated it had adopted "findings of fact, conclusions of law and order" for each matter reported.

Process notes and sources Board members were instructed by the board's advising attorney before deliberation that decisions must be based exclusively on the evidence in the hearing record and that the administrative law judge's report is a recommendation, not a final decision. The board was told to rely on the record and to explain any significant deviation from the administrative law judge's recommendation in writing.

The educator ethics committee informed the board that it commenced a contested case at the Office of Administrative Hearings after unsuccessful settlement efforts and that some licensees did not participate in the contested-case proceedings, prompting default recommendations from the administrative law judge in those matters.

What the board did not do The board did not provide additional factual findings beyond what was read as part of the adopted orders during the public meeting. For matters where licensees were not present, the board accepted the committee's submissions and the administrative record as the basis for decisions.

Next steps Final written orders will be mailed to the parties, the board said, consistent with the board's outlined process for contested cases and discipline decisions. The public record contains the board's oral announcement of the adopted orders; written orders with findings and conclusions will be issued to affected parties and become the official records of the board's decisions.