Would a mom be in the right or in the wrong for getting a teacher fired?
On the surface, it might seem like a ‘Karen’ move. But reading into the particulars of one story, I’m not so sure.
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Let’s dig into the details and assess the situation.
“Am I the [jerk] for getting a teacher fired when she wouldn’t let my daughter eat in class?”
This is the title of the Reddit post . OP is looking for guidance on whether she did the right thing.
The key detail here? OP’s daughter is diabetic and hypoglycemic. This means she might need to eat a snack at any point in order to keep her blood sugar stable.
Her teacher denied her a snack.
After a new teacher denied the request, which was well understood by every other teacher, things got real.
“[My daughter] nearly passes out but in the next class she is in, the teacher has enough common sense to let her eat a snack before passing out at school.”
Mom wasn’t having it.
“I immediately called the [first] teacher,” OP wrote. “When she called back, I lectured her and told her that she needed to let my daughter eat a snack when needed. She says snacks aren’t allowed in class, but I tell her that due to my daughter’s [form], she is legally required to give my daughter an exception to that rule.”
That seemed to be the end of it.
It’s important to note that this whole thing could have ended here, since the new teacher now understood the situation.
But, surprise surprise, it didn’t end here.
“A month goes by and the same thing happens again,” wrote OP. “I request a meeting with the principal and my husband plays back the call between me and the teacher.”
Long story short: the teacher was fired.
She was fired for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Of course OP and the teacher awkwardly ran into each other at the grocery store, and of course the teacher blamed OP for getting fired “over some stupid snacks.”
This one is basically unanimous.
It’s always interesting to see the different takes Redditors might have on something like this.
Usually at least a few people go against the grain, but here, everybody agrees that OP was in the right.
I haven’t gone through all two thousand comments, but I have gone through six or seven hundred, and not a single one says OP was in the wrong.
The principal’s hands were tied.
“A 504 form [which the daughter had] is a legally binding agreement that the school HAS to follow,” wrote one commenter. “The teacher was actually probably fired because she didn’t follow the 504, and the school could get into trouble for that.”
This makes sense. ADA violations can get a workplace into all kinds of trouble.
Teachers should know about this stuff.
“I studied to be an art teacher for awhile, and we talked quite a bit about students having special accommodations (and how to deal with them),” wrote one Redditor. “The teacher should have known better, no question about it.”
Sorry teacher, but this one’s on you.
It’s unfortunate that the teacher lost her job, but I have to conclude that she brought this on herself. After all, it was only after the second incident that she faced this punishment.
Check out the thread , then let us know what you think in the comments below.
