Iowa Catholic school denies teacher a job for being gay. Students orchestrate a perfect response

On a rainy Wednesday, 150 students and alumni staged a walkout at Dowling Catholic High School located in West Des Moines. The school's administration opted out of hiring substitute teacher (and Dowling alumnus) Tyler McCubbin after learning he was gay on social media.

The walkout by about 150 students happened about 1:20 p.m. despite the rain outside. Students signed a petition "against Dowling leadership's hiring policies as discriminatory against individuals based on sexual orientation."

Students led multiple prayers during the event. A handful of Dowling parents also were in attendance. They told KCCI they are proud their children took a stand against what they call an unjust hiring practice.

Some students supported the school's decision. But many came out against it.

"Our community should know that we care and that the choices of our school leaders and our diocese leaders don't directly reflect what we believe as students and it just makes me so happy that we can show our community that," said Grace Mumm, a sophomore who helped organize the walkout. READ MORE