Why It Matters
Former Davenport elementary school teacher Julian Lira is asking an Iowa court to overturn a three-year suspension of his teaching license. The case concerns an Iowa Board of Educational Examiners finding involving contact with a former student.
What Happened
Lira filed a lawsuit in Polk County District Court seeking judicial review of the board’s decision. He asks the court to reverse the order and dismiss the disciplinary complaint.
The allegations stem from an incident at a wedding reception on Oct. 7, 2023. Lira had briefly taught the former student in third and sixth grade.
An administrative law judge issued a proposed decision on June 30, 2025. The decision found that Lira had briefly touched the student’s chest and described the conduct as a “brief, inappropriate interaction,” according to language quoted in Lira’s lawsuit.
The proposed decision recommended a public letter of reprimand. The board’s final order deleted the last three sentences of that proposal but retained the finding that Lira had an inappropriate interaction with a former student.
The board imposed a three-year license suspension. It also required Lira to consult a doctor for a psychosexual evaluation and undergo a mental health evaluation, with possible counseling or treatment required for reinstatement.
Lira alleges the board made no additional aggravating factual findings and did not explain why it rejected the proposed sanction. His lawsuit also describes the contact as having “briefly touched (a former student’s) chest.”
As an alternative to reversal, Lira asks the court to vacate the decision and send the matter back to the board for a new hearing before a different administrative law judge. The State of Iowa had not filed a response to the lawsuit in the supplied material.
By the Numbers
Three years — length of Lira’s license suspension.
June 30, 2025 — date of the administrative law judge’s proposed decision.
Sept. 24, 2026 — date of the board’s final order.
Last three sentences — portion of the proposed decision deleted by the board.
Oct. 7, 2023 — date of the wedding reception incident.
Zoom Out
The administrative case follows criminal proceedings connected to the allegations. Lira was arrested and charged with misdemeanor lascivious conduct with a minor, but prosecutors later dropped that charge.
Lira also faced a separate criminal charge in 2019 involving alleged sexual abuse of a young girl who was a relative. A jury found him not guilty of sexual abuse in the second degree.
What’s Next
The Polk County District Court will consider Lira’s challenge to the board’s final order. The lawsuit seeks either reversal of the discipline or a new administrative hearing.