Teacher Docks Grades For Refusing To Stand For Pledge, Learns Costly Lesson

Lots Of Anger

Leilani watched her father pacing wildly in the kitchen with rage in his eyes.

She knew why he was angry, she also felt the same the moment her teacher gave the reason for lowering her grade. But he seemed like he was going to do something to make them regret it.

The Pledge

Leilani Thomas was a regular 14-year-old girl that attended Lower Lake High School.

Every morning she got to class with the other sleep deprived teenagers her age. They had to do their morning pledge, repeating the words they had been talk. But Leilani and her friend had a different idea.

Teacher’s Disapproval

Her teacher soon took notice of what she was doing. But soon she was scowling at her so everyone could see.

Leilani still ignored the look and stayed in her seat. So when class was over she wasn’t surprised when she was called aside after class.

You Have To

“You’re making bad choices,” the teacher said, her scowl as bad as ever.

The teacher told her that she had to stand. Leilani disagreed, she said that she had the right to stand. She couldn’t believe what was going on, how could her teacher have done this?

No Rights

The teacher kept her frown and told her that she had to stand during the pledge and there were no exceptions. At least for her.

“You don’t have rights. You have child’s rights.” Leilani couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The teacher really was implying that she didn’t have any rights and that she was the boss of them.

Lower Grades

She didn’t engage in anymore debate. Rather, she let her actions speak and continued to sit every morning.

However, when she saw her next report card, she noticed something strange. Her participation mark had gone from its normal 5 down to a 3. But before she asked what happened, she started recording on her phone.

Consequences

Leilani asked about her and her friend’s grade. The teacher said, “You disobeyed and therefore suffered the consequences.” She replied with, “You KNOW why I don’t stand.”

The rest of the recording would end up the final nail in the figurative coffin for the teacher – especially when she brought it home for her father to listen to.

Write An Essay

Her dad shook with anger as he listened to the woman’s muffled voice say…

“If you really, really have an argument and feel so strongly about that, then I need to see it written out — your argument — in an essay form. Why? Why, because here’s the real thing: those people, they’re not alive anymore.” He slammed his fist on the table.

Since Second Grade

Leilani had been sitting for the Pledge since she was in second grade – and no one had given her any problems before.

It wasn’t until this particularly unpleasant woman decided the girl’s situation and beliefs weren’t as important as the woman’s own views on national patriotism. So why was this so important to Leilani?

Native American

They are part of the Elem Indian Colony – a Native American tribe in northern California.

As far as she was concerned, the Pledge is to a time of the country’s founding … that also involved the slaughtering of her people. Which is another reason the comment, “your ancestors aren’t alive anymore” was particularly jarring. The ordeal was far from over.

Freedom

The teacher (having full knowledge of the student’s birthrights) kept at it.

“She says that it represents the military and that they risked their lives for us,” Leilani told CNN. “And I always tell her, ‘Well, my people risked our lives for our land, for our freedom. For our rights.” The father went to the school administrator.

Glowing Support

The girls were immediately moved to another homeroom with a more understanding teacher.

And despite a few voices trying to paint the girls as troublemakers, an overwhelming number of staff and classmates had nothing but praise and admiration for the girls. The father also made an important choice between his daughter’s battle and another one far away.

Pass On Pipeline

He had planned on going to North Dakota’s Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to help them in their fight against the pipeline, but decided to stay and support his daughter.

The student’s first amendment rights are exactly those … rights. They’re not gifts for when they “come of age”. CNN requested in interview with the teacher.

No Comment

They got no word back. However, the administrator said she could not identify the teacher involved in the incident, because of confidentiality clauses.

“Any consequence or issue with the teacher (is) considered a personnel matter and (is) confidential.” There are a few things that are certain.

No Essays

There are rumors of the teacher facing charges for amendment rights violations.

The new teacher will be in charge of the girl’s grades. Finally, Leilani will continue to sit, as she’s always done. “I just hope that she (her teacher) understands why I’m doing it. I don’t need to write an essay for her.” But Leilani’s not the only student to be picked on unfairly by a teacher.

Doing Her Best

Francesca Easdon from Texas was a loving mother who was raising her son the best way she knew how. But, despite her best efforts, 5-year-old Kyler had developed some infuriating eating habits of late.

At first, he refused to eat green vegetables. It wasn’t long before the list of what her son wouldn’t eat grew longer than the things he would eat. Francesca knew the picky eating had to stop when he began to gain weight.

A Battle Of Wills

Francesca had tried everything, but the more she pushed the toddler to eat healthy foods, the more he pushed back.

She was tired of fighting him only for him to return his packed lunch every day. She had tried to bribe him and incentivize him to eat, but she was losing the battle. It was time to try another approach.

Reaching A Compromise

Francesca decided to try and reach a compromise with her strong-willed 5-year-old. The unhealthy food in his lunchbox would stay, but she would slowly swap it out for healthier options.

She explained her son’s eating habits to his daycare, Rocking Horse Kingwood, and they seemed to understand her predicament. At least, that’s what the staff told her to her face.

Notes Of Encouragement

Francesca slowly replaced the junk food in Kyler’s lunchbox, and things seemed to be going well. Every day, she would write a little note of encouragement to her son and place it with his lunch – she did it to soften the blow of another one of his favorite treats disappearing.

Twinkies and crisps were replaced with carrot fingers and egg salad sandwiches, and her son seemed to be making progress. Until one mean teacher decided to undo it all.

An Innocent Treat

One night, Francesca was packing her son’s lunch, as usual. She tried to make the contents of her son’s lunchbox look colorful and appetizing.

She added cherry tomatoes, a wholegrain ham sandwich, and some apple slices. Then, she paused. It was the middle of the week, after all, and Kyler had been doing so well. It wouldn’t hurt to slip in a little treat. Or so she thought.

A Loving Note

“Please tell Kyler that his mommy loves him so much and I’m thinking about him,” she wrote on the note, intending for the teacher to read it aloud for him at lunchtime.

It wasn’t an unusual request. And who could have ever imagined that a loving little note for a little boy would elicit such venom from one spiteful woman?

A Quiet Little Boy

Later that evening, Kyler was less talkative than usual. Francesca didn’t think too much of it at first. She could never have guessed that the innocent and loving note she had sent with him would have gotten a rude response like this.

When she opened his lunchbox, she saw the audacious accusation there, written in thick black sharpie. At first, she couldn’t believe it.

Pure Spite

Francesca read and reread the note rudely scribbled underneath hers until it finally sank in. Her emotions took her on a rollercoaster ride of incredulity, sadness, and humiliation.

She gritted her teeth as the anger washed over her. She grew dangerously calm as she plotted the way forward. This teacher needed to be taught a lesson. Who was she to make a little boy feel like this?

Outing The Teacher

Francesca took a photo of the horrendously offensive note and posted it on Facebook. From there, it quickly gained traction.

Parents in her community, and even worldwide, began to express their disgust — and they aimed all their anger at Rocking Horse Kingwood Elementary School. Could the daycare recover from such backlash? Francesca knew it wasn’t enough. So, she began to do some digging of her own.

Unbelievably Cruel

The note that the teacher had written underneath hers simply read: “No! Put him on a diet and go away!.”

Not only was this a flat-out refusal to relay the contents of the message she had so lovingly written to her son, but it was also getting personal about his weight! Now, Francesca was usually a mild-mannered woman who minded her own business, but this woman had awoken a mama bear.

Looking For Ammunition

Francesca logged onto Facebook and quickly found the spiteful woman’s profile. She rubbed her hands in glee when she found it wide open.

She hoped to find some dirt on the venomous daycare teacher, but instead she had found a goldmine. She went through post after incriminating post on the teacher’s feed. Now, she had the ammunition to take her down.

Going Viral

Meanwhile, her Facebook post had garnered almost 1000 shares and over 2000 reactions and comments. People couldn’t believe that a teacher could have been so immature and spiteful.

Most users were quick to point out that the note was nothing less than blatant body shaming of a 5-year-old! But what evidence had Francesca found during her own investigation?

Hitting Pay Dirt

On the teacher’s personal Facebook account, Francesca found posts that included drug use and other inappropriate content!

Armed with her anger and unique insight into the teacher’s true character, she arranged a meeting with the director of the daycare. She wouldn’t rest until the woman was made accountable for her actions. But would she win?

An Update

After the meeting, Francesca posted an update to her Facebook post that informed her followers of the outcome.

“I was assured that it was being investigated and handled, yet almost no remorse was shown. I also brought to their attention the fact that on his teacher’s public Facebook page there were mass posts regarding drug use and other very inappropriate content,” she wrote.

No Remorse

“The teacher that wrote this note confessed while I was at work and was fired, but nothing has been done about the other situations,” Francesca continued.

“Zero remorse for their actions. I am disgusted that I put my trust in these people to care for my child and this is what I get in return. I have removed Kyler from this daycare and am enrolling him in a beautiful new facility.”

Some Backstory

For the other users who didn’t know what Francesca had been going through, she shared a little backstory.

“We have been working with Kyler on his eating, he’s extremely picky! I have been introducing new healthy options in his lunchbox and discussed the changes with his school. And for the record, I feel that Kyler is absolutely perfect the way he is, I’m just helping him make healthier choices. Instead of his school being supportive I am in absolute shock at what happened.”

Livid

“I sent this note in Kyler’s lunchbox, thinking that it would make him smile at lunchtime, but instead, I received this in return from one of the teachers! Of course, I was absolutely livid and immediately reached out to the school,” Francesca continued.

Her fans and followers were elated to hear that the rude teacher had been fired, but they also had other concerns…

Public Outcry

One user wrote: “I cannot believe a teacher would write something like this. It is appalling! Your son does not even the slightest bit need to be “put on a diet.” And even if he did, writing a not like that is immature, inappropriate and just ignorant.”

And another: “I can not believe someone actually wrote this!! I am so sorry that you have gone through this. And I will certainly tell everyone I know about this experience.” Francesca ends her post with a warning.

The Fight Continues

“I’m worried about the higher cost but I will make it work, no matter what I have to do. Kyler’s safety and level of care comes first. Sorry for the long post but I feel it’s so important to share this.”

She continued: “I’m extremely hands-on with my child’s care and still didn’t see this coming. Monitor your daycares closely and stay away from this facility, they do NOT deserve the privilege of teaching our children.”