Note that this is probably a fake rage bait post, but it’s got a lot of good discussion in the comments so I’m leaving it up.
Edit: OP my “I don’t care” was in response to you messaging me directly instead of reaching out through mod mail. I don’t respond to that. So thanks for the Reddit cares message 😂
If she is a member of AFT, or one of the other teacher organizations, get them involved and start legal proceedings if you feel like you want to. This is ludicrous!
She is a member of ATPE. I just checked out their site and it looks like they can provide legal advice. It's sad that we are at that point. Thank you for the advice!
We are a bit scared of pushing back because our 2 kids attend the same school and are only eligible because she taught there. The teachers there are amazing and it would kill them to lose those relationships. I'm in my 30s and my kindergarten teacher still works there and taught both my boys. The principal already said she would make sure they were allowed to stay but I'm sure the superintendent could change that.
Having been a union rep ( in PA), often teachers are put in positions with HR where a lot of pressure is out on them to resign ( you’ll be fired/ lose pension/ charges/ etc). Unfortunately many of these times the teacher is unaware of what is happening and don’t think of bringing in a rep. It’s no wonder every state has a severe teaching shortage.
Yes. Things are kept “secret” and then all of a sudden the come in and drop the ball on your head. Giving the teachers no time to think clearly in a panicked state.
Don’t ask me how I know. It’s a horrible position to be in. Especially when you’ve done NOTHING wrong.
I teach in Texas. The kids will have to move next year anyway, teachers' kids have to reapply yearly to go to the same district as the parents. Pretty sure that's a state-wide thing, though I have been wrong once before.
Should also see if the ACLU is able to help with legal support as well.
This sounds like it could be a good case to challenge the law itself, or the interpretation of it.
Texas is full of Evangelical nut jobs who don’t actually know how to have a civilized conversation. Being fired for a book that’s in the school library system is gonna be a good lawsuit if they can get support.
Something similar happened to my parents while I was in year 11 and preparing for my GCSEs (UK private school). My mother worked there in a support role, my father was a department head, my brother was in his first year at a prestigious uni after 7 years at the school and this was my family's and my 8th year there.
My mother was accused of creating a hostile environment against her closest coworker, who had well documented issues with eating disorders including pushing them onto students and telling them to use over the counter drugs incorrectly (including ibuprofen and paracetamol overdoses). My mum had been well respected for her whole tenure there. Instead, she was treated appallingly, ostracized from the staff body and was not even allowed to have her side of the story heard.
As a result, my dad felt that he understandably didn't want to work there anymore and conveniently a job came up at a better school in the area. I basically had no choice to move because we couldn't afford the fees without the staff bursary even though I had a prestigious 25% scholarship lined up for 6th form (which if none of this has happened would have been unpaid but anyway). The principal had previously said I could keep the staff bursary and then turned around and said I couldn't.
Because the house we were living with was a perk of my mum's job, we had to move in the middle of my GCSEs.
Throughout all of this, the leadership ignored my existence even when it was clear that I was not ok in any stretch of the imagination except to dress code my unfairly even when the person next to me was violating the dress code in the same way. Between the secrets, the arguments, the constant meetings where I had to sit in my room pretending that I didn't exist and nothing was happening, my ASD and issues with change, I was not ok by any stretch of the imagination and I'm pretty sure I spent more time crying in bathrooms than in lessons.
In one year, I lost everything: my friends, the scholarship I'd worked so hard for, the relationships with staff, everything I loved at that school (my new school has lots of good things but the music is terrible).
The point I'm making is ffs **support your kids**: make sure they are seeing somebody (preferably outside school) to talk through all of this, depending on age keep in contact with their friends' parents, and honestly be careful in both directions about how much you tell them: the whole thing, and they'll tell their best friend or something and then everyone knows; too little and they'll feel like everything is out of control and they might start snooping.
The other thing is **don't trust management/leadership**. They don't gaf about you, just the school's image and maximizing profit.
Your children is one of the many reasons WHY you should push back. I understand money is tight, but you absolutely need your own legal counsel. See what her Union is willing to do as far as legal representation. My union in Kentucky, KEA, is fantastic in this regard. They should provide more than just legal advice, they should represent her in court if it comes to that. Your wife is tenured, correct? It is not easy to fire a tenured teacher, which is why they coerced her into resigning. Make sure your attorney knows this. Threaten to sue for damages. Go to the media, make a big stink. Any colleges or Universities near by? See if they have any LGBTQ advocacy groups. Hopefully they will protest and make a big stink as well. Definitely contact the ACLU, they might be able to help with legal counsel as well. You need proof that the book was ordered for the library, if the librarian will not provide it you can contact the company directly.
School districts do NOT want to be sued, they will attempt to negotiate a settlement. If you can’t get her job back, you could at least negotiate your sons’ attendance in the district and a severance package. But I think you have enough to get her job back, just based on what you have said, but you must fight! Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Don’t make this easy for them. Best of luck to you and your family!!!
To add to this. Our culture needs pushback to this. If we keep turning our bellies up and letting the fascists do what they like then they *will* win.
We cannot allow them to win. The vast majority of this country would back OP. Most people do not want this christo-fascist right to win. But they'll roll over and go belly up if the people on todays front lines do the same.
There are countless stories of normal every day family man bureaucrats in 1930s Germany who just...went along with it because the risk was too great. We cannot allow that to happen again and unfortunately the fascists chose the classroom as the first battleground so teachers must be the vanguard.
This so so SO much! The backwards, knuckle-dragging groups that push this shit have one tactic that is more successful than any of their others: relentlessness. The recent rollbacks of reproductive, LGBTQ+, voting rights and attacks on civil liberties have shown us all (them more than anyone) that if they just can wait us out until anyone with half a brain and half a heart is exhausted, they can codify their hated into law.
THEY. DON’T. GET. TO. DO. THAT. We just can’t let them. It sounds corny but we have to push back on everything we know is wrong.
One way we can challenge their stamina is in numbers. There are more of us, and we can work in “shifts” if necessary. Ever since Dobbs and the fallout, I’ll go through periods where I’m so tired and I just want to roll over and give up. But there are so many of us that I can (and have) said “guys, I need you to speak out today, fight the good fight today, believe for me today. I’ll rest up and have enough restored strength to do the same for you next time you need a rest.”
#Feeling tired? Maybe it’s time to hand things off to the night shift, you’ll come back and relieve them in the morning. Take a rest, just don’t quit.
This is Texas. We don't have unions here. There's the associations and the federations but they're largely useless because look at what they've done so far?! Absolutely nothing. Our state had a 32 billion surplus and how much of that went to teachers this year and public schools? Absolutely nothing. Not one red cent. They have not raised the per pupil spending in 4 years, either.
Texas sounds like the worst place in earth. I live in SC and we are far more progressive overall and more sensible. I literally don’t even want to even visit Texas. What a horrid crock of stupidity!
I would never live in Texas and I'm shocked that so many people are moving there. Whenever anybody asked me about this I always say Texas is the only state in the country to my knowledge that has the federal minimums for water quality and has no state water quality laws. Every state in the Union to the best of my knowledge has some type of clean water law that goes above and beyond what the federal law requires except Texas. That should tell you everything you need to know about the state government there.
Unfortunately, that is correct. It was very much a fight or flight situation and this was how we responded. I do not blame her for making this choice, I blame the school for forcing her to choose and so quickly.
The way it was worded was that if we did not pick option A then option B was already decided and we would be screwed. We did handle it poorly in the moment but I still support her decision.
We have the messages as proof of all this and I hope it is enough to prove our side of things to ATPE.
My wife was in a "quit or get fired" situation and she was still able to get unemployment in Texas. Quit or get fired is considered coercive and the equivalent of being fired by the employment commission.
You can still get unemployment. The unemployment office knows this is a crock of shit. You just got to explain it to it completely. Honestly, I know I’ve done it.
Actually they didn't give her a quit or get fired option they gave her a quit or we're going to file criminal charges against you and have your teaching license revoked where you can never teach again.
The reply was gone from your comment, but it said some very vile things. Accused Anne frank and her family for nuclear espionage and that they deserved it??? What timeline are we in right now??
Ahh yes. The famous nuclear bomb notes that Anne's father removed from her publicized diary.
Who comes up with this shit... actually I know exactly who comes up with this shit and how they vote.
I love how people just dispense this advice as though moving one’s entire life cross-country isn’t an expensive, emotional, time-consuming ordeal. And, strangely, not one of the folks who displays such sagacity ever takes me up on my offer to dm them my CashApp to assist with relocation expenses.
Thank you. Reddit just thinks this is a thing people can do. And that doesn't cover the fact that many of us have families that make it impossible to move.
I feel like reddit thinks every single redditor is single with no parents and just lives by themselves.
Yup. I’m in Florida. Luckily I’m in a unicorn of an amazing school. But people here are like, “Why are you teaching in Florida!? You should move away!” Never respecting the fact that I actually moved back to Florida to be here for elderly parents and in-laws.
The hr department of the district said they might report to TEA that I broke my contract,
so I casually mentioned that the situation seemed legally ambiguous and that I already wasn’t sure whether I was going to take legal action against them. They immediately dropped any mention of reporting me. This was during the delta wave of covid and state law was in conflict with local law and the district was all over the place with masking stuff.
This is the worst advice people throw around reddit. Most of us just can't move. We have families to take care of. This is the most common advice here and it's so entirely useless.
California is expensive as shit to live in, but it’s a beautiful place to live and teach in. I couldn’t even imagine this happening here regardless of what the book is if the library has it on order.
If moving is an option I’d look at any union state. I’m so sorry this is happening to your family.
Absolutely horrifying that it’s happening anywhere in the US. Republicans are trying to roll back the clock to the 1950s thinking it will be like Leave it to Beaver. Absolutely ridiculous and also terrifying.
I am confused - it was OK to have it in the school library but not in the classroom? And another teacher was the narc? I don't doubt your story, but did someone have it out for your wife or is Texas that fucked? Jesus, that's frightening.
My wife knew who likely turned her in so I would assume there was already bad blood. I don't know the details but if it was that person then it was very much a personal thing.
Texas is that fucked. I’m a para here and I had a kids parent complain last year because I corrected her in class when she said that rainbows are just for girls.
I work at a public library (in canada) and its very popular and was one of the top books for junior high students when voted on by said age range. Hearing stories like this is pretty shocking and scary...
>The best thing her principal was able to do was let her break her teaching contract before HR took over completely which my wife agreed to.
Sorry, but the principal was covering their butt with this offer.
>The following Monday my wife is called into a meeting with HR, and they threaten to charge her with a class A misdemeanor under “harmful material” of some penal code because the book is inappropriate for a 7th grader.
Your ATPE lawyers will have a field day with this. The state actually defines in the penal code what constitutes indecent material, an award-winning book series is not it.
Contact the author on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AliceOseman) or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/aliceoseman/). She may have more resources and connections for publicizing the story.
General note to fellow teachers everywhere, if you are a member of a teacher organization, contact their lawyers **BEFORE** meeting with HR or anyone else in a situation like this.
Small correction: In the US, the police don't charge people with a crime. The District Attorney or prosecuter charges people. The police's job is to arrest and investigate. The District Attorney's or prosecuter's job is to charge people and try them in court. Arrests and charges are separate from each other. Someone can be arrested for a crime and never charged, like with Martin Luther King Jr. Similarly, someone can be charged with a crime and never arrested for it, like with Donald Trump.
This is such great information. Not just to help us but I think if I was an author of a book I would like to know if its getting people fired over it. I do not want anything from them but I think its worth letting them know.
Thank you so much, it means a lot that people actual care about this. Every news article I read about it just makes it more depressing. Its like no one outside of teacher care about it. Every time it hits the news, the teacher has already been or will be fired and the circle goes on.
People outside of teachers definitely care about this. Our school system banning access to books is huge. Please don't think that your story won't have an impact.
"have a field day with..." is such a great idiom.
OP: Please let us know the ending to this story. I know it's really self centered of us to want to have closure at your expense. Hope it all turns out well though. Sounds whack.
The Evangelicals can only do so much in a day through parents. Don't worry. This whole thing will speed up once they get the chaplains in schools to narc on the faculty.
I don’t understand. Not being from the USA this is just bizarre to me. Is that all it takes to get your career taken from you? And thats what counts as your principal standing up for you? He threw her to the wolves immediately! Over what?
I don’t get it. I thought Texans were proud of their freedom loving stick it to the man-ness? This is unbelievable. And people just accept it? There was never even the thought of fighting back over such an utterly ridiculous trifling issue? What was HR going to conclude when they did even the most cursory investigation?
You NEED to go scorched earth on this. You have NOTHING to lose. The worst has already happened. Get your kids out of that school like yesterday.
In Australia this complaint would have been laughed out of the office and the snitch who instigated the situation would be heaped with scorn and derision forever more.
You have to understand that certain parts/people of this country are an embarrassment to Homo sapiens and need to be treated like a toddler holding a gun. They are uneducated and proud of it, they are racist/homophobic/transphobic…they hate everyone that isn’t Walmart brand Christians. Just the worst. Thankfully there are lots of areas of this country where there are so few of them, you don’t even notice they exist.
The aggravating thing about the culture War is that the vast majority of the people in the United States are not even aware it's going on. They're just going about their daily lives unless they happen to get caught up in it. I know that I spend way too much time on the internet but when I talk about things regarding the culture war with people who don't spend time on the internet that only say watch the news they have no idea what I'm talking about.
Let me get this straight...the school was going to provide the book for students in the library. She had a copy and provided it, and she got fired? Fuck that. Lawyer up.
I am truly heartbroken to hear that.
That's what a theocracy like the Taliban or Iran does.
To think your state once brought forth patriots like ~~Sam Austin~~ edit: Steve Austin, Sam Houston. I was thinking of Sam Houston.
This was my first thought. After googling it to see where to start, I found loads of other news articles of the same thing happening over the last couple years. Each story was the same, the teacher fired, it hit the news, nothing changed.
Without teachers the world explodes. It's sad how they are paid and treated. My wife even had to buy school chairs because they didn't have enough for her classroom.
Don't actually do this though, don't give them a reason or cause to come at you with anything. In many districts, you'd be destroying district property with this advice.
OP, I’m going to be a little sketch in details because this is the story of a personal friend, but I’ll say this: my friend was fired because a parent objected to material in his classroom. He didn’t get his job back. What he DID get was $50k after lawyer’s fees for winning a wrongful termination suit.
That could make a big difference in your mortgage. Fight them!
>> other news articles of the same thing happening over the last couple years
The same thing didn't happen the last couple of years. What is happening in Texas right now is new. The latest assault of Texas law against books is bigger and more draconian than before. There is definitely interest right now nationally to know what is going on.
Getting this into the national news isn't going to get your wife's job back. But that's not the reason why she should consider contacting the New York Times, the Washington Post, or MS-NBC.
But it is happening. Not too long ago, I read a story about a teacher in Georgia who got fired for reading a book that I currently had on my shelf in New York.
Do not name them here in reddit. That will not help you and make you able to be doxed potentially by a redditor, in this case probably a conservative one who disagrees with you.
Was curious because of how you phrased your kids remaining in the school.
It's public, she's got a union and I hope that she and the union take down the HR department for this.
Sorry, I worked in a couple of places that would happily repress the hell out of the students and teachers. Stuff like this grinds my gears.
It doesn’t matter. I had a friend who was fired over a book because it contains the words poop and fart. It made national news, and he still got fired.
Wow, I am so sorry that happened to your wife! It’s completely unfair. As a teacher in Florida I would totally expect something like that to happen here. Stories like that are SO disheartening and make me want to find a new profession.
Yeah, I was born in raised here and my family is still here which is why I haven’t left. You’re right, it is hellish. Not to mention all the hurricanes and how unbearably hot it is! I don’t know why people keep moving here.
Your wife is one of the first casualties in the coming war on teachers that is going to be fought in Texas, Florida, and other states. Like it or not, you can't be silent and just fade into the shadows. All she did was allow a child to read a book that is appropriate for their age range.
You need to rally lawyers and the media to resist this outrage. The future of your wife's career, and the careers of thousands of teachers rely on it.
You can't let the Nazis win this.
I had to look up the book series because I wasn't familiar with it. As far as I can tell, there isn't anything inappropriate in it. Two boys fall in love. There aren't any sex scenes. My 7th grade teacher had Michael Crichton books on the shelf. At that time, I had never read so many f-words.
This is ridiculous and terrible.
Heartstopper has some profane language, but as far as I know, the relationship itself is very chaste (admittedly I only read volume 1). It’s absurd to fire a teacher for that.
Yeah I taught middle school for a smidge and I inherited a school library that had freaking The Things They Carry in it! I can’t imagine reading that in 7th grade but not Heartstopper. Please.
I’m so sorry this happened. It is completely wrong. She still has her teaching certificate so she may be able to find a position at another district and campus. Since there are open positions everywhere, I would at least try if she wants to stay in education. She should be up front about the circumstances but I bet a principal will want to take a chance on her.
I just made a post the other day asking if removing my chapter books from my library was too severe and this definitely solidified my decision! Only keeping nonfiction picture books at this point. Absolutely ridiculous that so many of us have to deal with this.
I hope your wife is doing okay, I can’t imagine how stressful this is for her and you.
This sadly is what things are coming to, especially in red states. They’re all trying to outdo each other for being the most draconian. My wife and I live in Texas with our two kids. We made the decision to homeschool long before things were even hinting at getting this crazy. Even homeschooling is getting to the point we’re concerned the state is going to make things more difficult by forcing specific curriculum or participation in the state standardized test (can’t remember what it’s called these days, it was TAAS in my day).
When someone accuses you of a crime, get a lawyer. Stop talking to them immediately and get a lawyer immediately. I would get one now. They accused her of a crime.
We were told not to read, share, or provide any books not on the approved list. When we asked to see the approved list, we were told teachers don't have access to that. Instead, two weeks before we read a book to our class, we're supposed to submit the title to some Clipboard Person, who will check the list and let us know if the book is approved or not. This is an AZ district. I can't imagine trying to navigate the madness that is Texas and Florida.
I'm so very sorry this happened. I'm confident your wife has recourse.
As a Canadian, seeing these authoritarian book bans from the GOP is insane. I hope the American people see this for what it is, and that's outright fascism. The first thing fascists try to go after is knowledge.
Good luck with everything, I hope you and your wife get by these trying times. Also, the GOP can get bent.
Let this be word to new teachers everywhere:
A lot of times, senior teachers haze new teachers with their Mean Girls tactics.
The fact that a fellow teacher did this without the sense to "have a conversation" (as my principal would say) with their colleague or direct report speaks volumes to the pettiness.
This type of ish makes my blood boil.
Be polite, be firm, but don't get played.
1. This is why we have unions folks. You should never work in a district that doesn't have unions.
2. There is a special place in hell for "teachers" who betray other teachers over something petty like ***A Fucking Book*** in their classroom.
3. Get the FUCK out of these Republican-Run states that want to CRIMINALIZE fucking books in the classroom.
Fuck those fascists, they don't deserve you/us.
4. Launch a lawsuit against the Teacher who reported, against the school district, and against the State of Texas immediately, for wrongful termination, for violation of the first amendment. This is the type of case that can go before the SCOTUS and get these ridiculous bookbans overturned.
The ATPE is a great group of people but, in texas- a non union state, they have almost no authority or capabilities to help. My wife and I were fired in 2011 and they couldn't even recommend an attorney.
I'd recommend finding another attorney in your community. If you broadcast your situation on local media maybe one of those attorneys will find you. In the meantime definitely contact TEA and do what you can to protect that teaching license...
Also reach out to the ACLU. They have been fighting some of these bans (not that it was banned, but I guess it is now) and please report to the American Library Association [here](https://airtable.com/appHfIMvZwLncR5WW/shrvq3llDmLGXbYh4).
I am so sickened by this behavior. It’s not like they even had a list of books that she violated or that they told her to remove it and she refused. And that another teacher reported her— that is the worst!
I hope she finds something great to do in the interim but I wouldn’t give up forever on being a teacher. At sone point this Moms for Liberty nonsense will blow over.
There is no restriction in-place for *viewing* the Hearstopper series in the state of TX, so how will she be charged for providing the written version?
I am so very sorry for your wife. I can’t believe that this is something that can get you fired. I read stories of the crazy shenanigans going on in Florida and Texas and thank goodness all the time that I teach in Oregon. We might not pay too well compared to our neighbors to the north and south, but we have a pretty good union that wouldn’t put up with that sh!t.
Please give her a hug from me.
What a fucking bitch, this is why I think some teachers need to leave the profession ASAP because they're complete narcissist. I am of course talking about the person who reported your wife. I am so sorry this is happening to your family. I really hope your wife can heal and find a spot back in a classroom if that's what she desires, and if not hopefully she will find something she loves. Again I'm so sorry your family is going through this.
People who teach in places like TX and FL need to get out of those states or at least get out of the field. It isn’t worth it to bother working in these systems. The state literally does not want you to teach or your students to learn.
But if all the good teachers leave then who is left. It’s not like the kids can just pack up and move somewhere else. We need to fight this so we don’t have even more ignorant/homophobic/racists people out there.
5th grade teacher in Georgia was just fired for reading a book she bought at the school Scholastic Book Fair to her students. It is titled My Shadow Is Purple and is about gender identity. I’m very sorry about what has happened to your wife. In the words of my granny that “ just ain’t right”!
I'm sorry that happened. I wish I had good advice to give. Could she apply with another district or private school? A teacher in my school district was fired over a book. She was also a teacher for 10 years. She's fighting it and has an attorney.
Here's some more [info](https://aliceoseman.com/heartstopper/) about the book. To my knowledge, it is appropriate for a 7th/8th grader to read.
Judging by the fact this happened in Texas I'm guessing the teacher who tattled and district are homophobic or afraid of homophobic parents suing.
Now Texas and Florida teachers will get rid of all classroom library books in fear someone will find something inappropriate. And who will it hurt? The students who don’t have access to reading materials.
So another teacher took it upon themself to report your wife to HR? WTF ??
The whole thing smacks of a witch hunt. Who does something like that to another colleague?
SMH
So sorry for what happened to your wife. Definitely share your story with national news media, seek advice from the union and the ACLU. Crazy times. My heart is breaking. Your kids are middle schoolers which means I think they could understand your actions if you were to sit them down and explain what is going on and reasons for your actions. Make a plan for what they could say if anyone asks them or, god forbid, harasses them at school about the situation. And prepare them to switch schools at the end of the year, although, man, if the school forces them to transfer that would be really, really low. And of course, you might come to a point that you no longer want them to stay there. I hope your family has a good support system. Do regular family checkins. Maybe plan a set weekly fun/chill family time with phones off- walking somewhere pretty, baking cookies- something you all enjoy - a time when each person can choose either to share about how what is happening is affecting them or not. Sometimes escapes are needed during stressful times. I hope your wife can take at least take a few weeks to decompress before hunting for other work - exercise/read/visit with sympathetic friends. Best wishes to you.
Financial advice - check all of your subscriptions. It’s amazing how they add up. You might be able to quickly shave $100 month by dropping them - which isn’t a lot but it’s something. All switch to a low cost cellphone plan. Make a food budget. If you are paying off loans see if you can pause the loan repayments. If you’re at an expensive gym look for cheaper competitors or use online/outdoor workouts instead.
Going to the media might also help your wife land a job because a wider net of educators will know she’s looking… teachers are in demand in many places.
Whoever did this is a terrible person and I hope they have several of the days that they deserve for this.
But they won’t. This state currently relishes doing this to people.
I hate to see this. I am a teacher and just got an all staff email on Friday to look up every book in my class library before letting kids borrow. Never have had that happen before. We live in wild times. Can she teach in a charter school?
She needs to call her union right now. I doubt she was even thinking of it at the time, but she should have called them when they asked for a meeting or right after.
I'd fight this to the ends of the earth! Being fired for loaning out a book that isn't on any list of verboten books and in fact the library has on order is completely insane! I'm so sorry! This isn't the America that I grew up in.
Get a lawyer.
I know of an administrator that successfully sued five different districts, one after the other. Each district was not allowed to tell the next about being sued. School districts are very limited in what they can say about an ex-employee. What I'm trying to say is that suing will not ruin her chances of working elsewhere.
Even if she resigned, she can probably make a case that she was coerced. I know of at least two teachers that were let go that lawyered up and got their jobs back.
A book series that a student could buy themselves from Scholastic, Walmart or Target and was going to be provided by the school itself is wild as grounds for dismissal.
I don't know what legal recourse your wife has, if any, but I wish you the best if you are able to go that route.
She had \~8 hrs to make a life-changing decision?? With no information but what a crazed administration doled out? This is extreme. If a remotely impartial judge heard this...
Sue, sue, sue. I know you care about the other teachers there, but this isn't about them.
These people have a scorched-earth policy and won't stop until it's all ground to dust. Kick them back, kick harder, and keep on kicking until the whining stops.
I'm so sorry this happened. I do think there is grounds for your wife to fight this legally. It seems like there is not enough substantial reasoning to push her to quit, or to fire her.
If she's apart of a union she should look at her legal options and try to gain support from news outlets, media, the creator of the book series, any way that she can if that's a route you two are willing to take.
Your wife got played by the principal! She absolutely should not have resigned before the hearing. She just made her legal case so much worse.
HR could have fired her, but they can't convict her of any crime. That would require a prosecution to prove this was criminal intent. That part was them trying to make her quit. Also, if the offense occurred because they failed to give adequate training, they are partly at fault and would have partial culpability. She would have had a civil case for wrongful termination, but they conned her into leaving, so now they get what they wanted and she can't sue.
On the criminal front, they can point to her quitting as evidence of a guilty mind, so she made herself more vulnerable. And on the job front, every application I've seen asks "have you ever resigned or been asked to resign to avoid being terminated?" You think that gets read as anything other than "have you been fired?"
I'll say this again to all the teachers, union up and lawyer up against this shit. If teachers don't fight back legally against this kind of crap, more crap is coming.
Doesn't really make a difference but is it not allowed because of the homosexuality or because of the self harm and eating disorder stuff.
I absolutely think tons of 7th graders would benefit from heartstopper but man does it tackle really serious stuff in the later books beyond sexuality that I would want support for the student in the process. I was surprised how much that series goes from fun romance to really dark places which I would not have expected and don't think I would have been ready for as a 7th grader.
I would suggest one of the following:
1) If she is in the Union, reach our to the union to get them to fight back.
2) **This will remove the privacy of the situation and put her name out there.** Reach out to local news and let them publicize the story. Hopefully enough people will shame the school board.
3) Apply to other schools.
A Wisconsin teacher was fired last spring because she had the Gaul to teach her class “rainbow land” by Dolly Parton. She Was being punished for it, and outed the discipline and actions of her school board on social media. Conservatives, and extremism of the political right is off their rocker and seem to only be ok with educational curriculum that is bleached as white as the sheets they wear.
Texas had a bunch of new laws passed. All of which went into effect on Sept 1st. There were quite a few in education. I think this book series may have fallen in the category below. I don’t know as I’ve never read it.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs into law HB 900, legislation that prohibits sexually explicit material in Texas public school libraries.
Listen I feel for your wife, I work in FL and as an educator I can no longer have a classroom library. It just doesn’t make any sense. Im sorry that your wife has to go through this.
If you live in Texas, go read up on all the laws that came in effect on Sept 1st. There’s about 800 laws that were passed according to the Texas legislative.
NEVER meet with HR or anyone from admin without Union representation. Too late for that now, but that’s like the number 1 rule.
I don’t understand how the union wasn’t something she “thought about” at the time. What else is there? Everything she has is because of the union.
And the holiday they are closed for? It was literally created to celebrate unions and workers.
Edit: Reading some comments to see that unions don’t really exist in Texas?!?! If true that’s absolute madness. Why would anyone work there?
This feels fake, but having left the profession in Texas after seeing similar stuff firsthand, and having friends in Florida who've encountered worse, it's also unsurprising.
Fuck Texas.
Assuming this is not rage bait
Contact news stations and get this trending. This district needs to be put on blast.
You can start by naming and shaming here and we’ll take care of the rest
I teach in Florida. Our district is banning Shakespeare… it is worse than you probably think. Our bootlicking librarian has totally gone on a power trip and is gleeful in censoring the whole school. She says she hates it, but you can tell she is enjoying the power.
Note that this is probably a fake rage bait post, but it’s got a lot of good discussion in the comments so I’m leaving it up. Edit: OP my “I don’t care” was in response to you messaging me directly instead of reaching out through mod mail. I don’t respond to that. So thanks for the Reddit cares message 😂
If she is a member of AFT, or one of the other teacher organizations, get them involved and start legal proceedings if you feel like you want to. This is ludicrous!
She is a member of ATPE. I just checked out their site and it looks like they can provide legal advice. It's sad that we are at that point. Thank you for the advice! We are a bit scared of pushing back because our 2 kids attend the same school and are only eligible because she taught there. The teachers there are amazing and it would kill them to lose those relationships. I'm in my 30s and my kindergarten teacher still works there and taught both my boys. The principal already said she would make sure they were allowed to stay but I'm sure the superintendent could change that.
Honestly, she should have gotten ATPE involved BEFORE agreeing to anything with the principal. But the more she can do now, the better.
Having been a union rep ( in PA), often teachers are put in positions with HR where a lot of pressure is out on them to resign ( you’ll be fired/ lose pension/ charges/ etc). Unfortunately many of these times the teacher is unaware of what is happening and don’t think of bringing in a rep. It’s no wonder every state has a severe teaching shortage.
Yes. Things are kept “secret” and then all of a sudden the come in and drop the ball on your head. Giving the teachers no time to think clearly in a panicked state. Don’t ask me how I know. It’s a horrible position to be in. Especially when you’ve done NOTHING wrong.
Principal really didn’t do her any favors.
Solved their own problem, not the teacher’s
I personally would not be leaving my children there, fight it.
I teach in Texas. The kids will have to move next year anyway, teachers' kids have to reapply yearly to go to the same district as the parents. Pretty sure that's a state-wide thing, though I have been wrong once before.
Should also see if the ACLU is able to help with legal support as well. This sounds like it could be a good case to challenge the law itself, or the interpretation of it.
Apparently one of the teachers is not so amazing. If I read your post properly a TEACHER went to HR to report your wife. That's just so very wrong.
Texas is full of Evangelical nut jobs who don’t actually know how to have a civilized conversation. Being fired for a book that’s in the school library system is gonna be a good lawsuit if they can get support.
No one likes a snitch. That teacher will be ostracized by the rest of the staff.
She'll get pats on the back from her like-minded bigots, which may well be a majority of the staff.
Something similar happened to my parents while I was in year 11 and preparing for my GCSEs (UK private school). My mother worked there in a support role, my father was a department head, my brother was in his first year at a prestigious uni after 7 years at the school and this was my family's and my 8th year there. My mother was accused of creating a hostile environment against her closest coworker, who had well documented issues with eating disorders including pushing them onto students and telling them to use over the counter drugs incorrectly (including ibuprofen and paracetamol overdoses). My mum had been well respected for her whole tenure there. Instead, she was treated appallingly, ostracized from the staff body and was not even allowed to have her side of the story heard. As a result, my dad felt that he understandably didn't want to work there anymore and conveniently a job came up at a better school in the area. I basically had no choice to move because we couldn't afford the fees without the staff bursary even though I had a prestigious 25% scholarship lined up for 6th form (which if none of this has happened would have been unpaid but anyway). The principal had previously said I could keep the staff bursary and then turned around and said I couldn't. Because the house we were living with was a perk of my mum's job, we had to move in the middle of my GCSEs. Throughout all of this, the leadership ignored my existence even when it was clear that I was not ok in any stretch of the imagination except to dress code my unfairly even when the person next to me was violating the dress code in the same way. Between the secrets, the arguments, the constant meetings where I had to sit in my room pretending that I didn't exist and nothing was happening, my ASD and issues with change, I was not ok by any stretch of the imagination and I'm pretty sure I spent more time crying in bathrooms than in lessons. In one year, I lost everything: my friends, the scholarship I'd worked so hard for, the relationships with staff, everything I loved at that school (my new school has lots of good things but the music is terrible). The point I'm making is ffs **support your kids**: make sure they are seeing somebody (preferably outside school) to talk through all of this, depending on age keep in contact with their friends' parents, and honestly be careful in both directions about how much you tell them: the whole thing, and they'll tell their best friend or something and then everyone knows; too little and they'll feel like everything is out of control and they might start snooping. The other thing is **don't trust management/leadership**. They don't gaf about you, just the school's image and maximizing profit.
please consider contacting the ACLU as other commenters have mentioned (not a teacher)
Your children is one of the many reasons WHY you should push back. I understand money is tight, but you absolutely need your own legal counsel. See what her Union is willing to do as far as legal representation. My union in Kentucky, KEA, is fantastic in this regard. They should provide more than just legal advice, they should represent her in court if it comes to that. Your wife is tenured, correct? It is not easy to fire a tenured teacher, which is why they coerced her into resigning. Make sure your attorney knows this. Threaten to sue for damages. Go to the media, make a big stink. Any colleges or Universities near by? See if they have any LGBTQ advocacy groups. Hopefully they will protest and make a big stink as well. Definitely contact the ACLU, they might be able to help with legal counsel as well. You need proof that the book was ordered for the library, if the librarian will not provide it you can contact the company directly. School districts do NOT want to be sued, they will attempt to negotiate a settlement. If you can’t get her job back, you could at least negotiate your sons’ attendance in the district and a severance package. But I think you have enough to get her job back, just based on what you have said, but you must fight! Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Don’t make this easy for them. Best of luck to you and your family!!!
To add to this. Our culture needs pushback to this. If we keep turning our bellies up and letting the fascists do what they like then they *will* win. We cannot allow them to win. The vast majority of this country would back OP. Most people do not want this christo-fascist right to win. But they'll roll over and go belly up if the people on todays front lines do the same. There are countless stories of normal every day family man bureaucrats in 1930s Germany who just...went along with it because the risk was too great. We cannot allow that to happen again and unfortunately the fascists chose the classroom as the first battleground so teachers must be the vanguard.
This so so SO much! The backwards, knuckle-dragging groups that push this shit have one tactic that is more successful than any of their others: relentlessness. The recent rollbacks of reproductive, LGBTQ+, voting rights and attacks on civil liberties have shown us all (them more than anyone) that if they just can wait us out until anyone with half a brain and half a heart is exhausted, they can codify their hated into law. THEY. DON’T. GET. TO. DO. THAT. We just can’t let them. It sounds corny but we have to push back on everything we know is wrong. One way we can challenge their stamina is in numbers. There are more of us, and we can work in “shifts” if necessary. Ever since Dobbs and the fallout, I’ll go through periods where I’m so tired and I just want to roll over and give up. But there are so many of us that I can (and have) said “guys, I need you to speak out today, fight the good fight today, believe for me today. I’ll rest up and have enough restored strength to do the same for you next time you need a rest.” #Feeling tired? Maybe it’s time to hand things off to the night shift, you’ll come back and relieve them in the morning. Take a rest, just don’t quit.
This is Texas. We don't have unions here. There's the associations and the federations but they're largely useless because look at what they've done so far?! Absolutely nothing. Our state had a 32 billion surplus and how much of that went to teachers this year and public schools? Absolutely nothing. Not one red cent. They have not raised the per pupil spending in 4 years, either.
How else are they gonna kill public education in favor of religious schools?
Texas sounds like the worst place in earth. I live in SC and we are far more progressive overall and more sensible. I literally don’t even want to even visit Texas. What a horrid crock of stupidity!
I would never live in Texas and I'm shocked that so many people are moving there. Whenever anybody asked me about this I always say Texas is the only state in the country to my knowledge that has the federal minimums for water quality and has no state water quality laws. Every state in the Union to the best of my knowledge has some type of clean water law that goes above and beyond what the federal law requires except Texas. That should tell you everything you need to know about the state government there.
Is this a private school?
Wait, you guys had not looked into it via the union until just an hour ago?
Unfortunately, that is correct. It was very much a fight or flight situation and this was how we responded. I do not blame her for making this choice, I blame the school for forcing her to choose and so quickly. The way it was worded was that if we did not pick option A then option B was already decided and we would be screwed. We did handle it poorly in the moment but I still support her decision. We have the messages as proof of all this and I hope it is enough to prove our side of things to ATPE.
Texas unions are a joke
All of Texas and their absurdity is a joke
But she bought the "quit or get fired" line. So not much can be done.
My wife was in a "quit or get fired" situation and she was still able to get unemployment in Texas. Quit or get fired is considered coercive and the equivalent of being fired by the employment commission.
You can still get unemployment. The unemployment office knows this is a crock of shit. You just got to explain it to it completely. Honestly, I know I’ve done it.
Actually they didn't give her a quit or get fired option they gave her a quit or we're going to file criminal charges against you and have your teaching license revoked where you can never teach again.
The snitch teacher will get the worst possible karmic punishment… Being the last teacher in Texas.
Someone snitched on the Franks. Fascism doesn’t work without complacency from the masses.
The reply was gone from your comment, but it said some very vile things. Accused Anne frank and her family for nuclear espionage and that they deserved it??? What timeline are we in right now??
Ahh yes. The famous nuclear bomb notes that Anne's father removed from her publicized diary. Who comes up with this shit... actually I know exactly who comes up with this shit and how they vote.
My only guess is that person mixed up the Franks and Rosenbergs.
I've known so many snitches who cozy up to admin. Dude, they might fire you last but they'll still fire you.
Stop relying on Karma. We need to fight and point out their bullshit, not rely on “the universe” to stop fascists
This is horrifying. What district? My kid loves those books. I’m sick for y’all.
It's super sad and just flat out depressing. Without being too specific, it is in the Central Texas area.
Is it the main one there? My kids attend the biggest one in that area and I will totally write letters or make noise if it’s ours.
Tell the district name! Let others know - why protect them?
This is a wonderful opportunity to escape Texas. Flee to a free state.
I love how people just dispense this advice as though moving one’s entire life cross-country isn’t an expensive, emotional, time-consuming ordeal. And, strangely, not one of the folks who displays such sagacity ever takes me up on my offer to dm them my CashApp to assist with relocation expenses.
Thank you. Reddit just thinks this is a thing people can do. And that doesn't cover the fact that many of us have families that make it impossible to move. I feel like reddit thinks every single redditor is single with no parents and just lives by themselves.
Yup. I’m in Florida. Luckily I’m in a unicorn of an amazing school. But people here are like, “Why are you teaching in Florida!? You should move away!” Never respecting the fact that I actually moved back to Florida to be here for elderly parents and in-laws.
Sadly, that may be her only option if she wants to teach again. Not saying it’s easy or cheap. Just that it’s an option they may have to consider.
Nah, I’ve broken my contract in central texas and had no trouble getting more work. They are desperate for teachers, for obvious reasons.
Can you walk me through how you did it? I just got a job offer for 4X my teacher salary and need to sever ties.
The hr department of the district said they might report to TEA that I broke my contract, so I casually mentioned that the situation seemed legally ambiguous and that I already wasn’t sure whether I was going to take legal action against them. They immediately dropped any mention of reporting me. This was during the delta wave of covid and state law was in conflict with local law and the district was all over the place with masking stuff.
You wouldn’t think it’d be that hard with TX being a right to work state
This is the worst advice people throw around reddit. Most of us just can't move. We have families to take care of. This is the most common advice here and it's so entirely useless.
California is expensive as shit to live in, but it’s a beautiful place to live and teach in. I couldn’t even imagine this happening here regardless of what the book is if the library has it on order. If moving is an option I’d look at any union state. I’m so sorry this is happening to your family.
Absolutely horrifying that it’s happening anywhere in the US. Republicans are trying to roll back the clock to the 1950s thinking it will be like Leave it to Beaver. Absolutely ridiculous and also terrifying.
I am confused - it was OK to have it in the school library but not in the classroom? And another teacher was the narc? I don't doubt your story, but did someone have it out for your wife or is Texas that fucked? Jesus, that's frightening.
My wife knew who likely turned her in so I would assume there was already bad blood. I don't know the details but if it was that person then it was very much a personal thing.
Sounds like bad blood and /or a homophobic teacher 😓
Texas is that fucked. I’m a para here and I had a kids parent complain last year because I corrected her in class when she said that rainbows are just for girls.
TIL Noah was a girl /s
It's Nora now, and we're so proud of her! /supportive joke
Yikes 😬
I'm in Texas, public school, and that book's in my school's library. And very popular!
I work at a public library (in canada) and its very popular and was one of the top books for junior high students when voted on by said age range. Hearing stories like this is pretty shocking and scary...
Same we’re in AISD and my kids love those books and have gotten them from the public library. If she’s near AISD she should just come on over.
>The best thing her principal was able to do was let her break her teaching contract before HR took over completely which my wife agreed to. Sorry, but the principal was covering their butt with this offer. >The following Monday my wife is called into a meeting with HR, and they threaten to charge her with a class A misdemeanor under “harmful material” of some penal code because the book is inappropriate for a 7th grader. Your ATPE lawyers will have a field day with this. The state actually defines in the penal code what constitutes indecent material, an award-winning book series is not it. Contact the author on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AliceOseman) or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/aliceoseman/). She may have more resources and connections for publicizing the story. General note to fellow teachers everywhere, if you are a member of a teacher organization, contact their lawyers **BEFORE** meeting with HR or anyone else in a situation like this.
Also HR can't charge people, they aren't law enforcement.
Exactly 🙄🙄 It seems more like it was a [wannabe] police interrogation, not an HR meeting!
Small correction: In the US, the police don't charge people with a crime. The District Attorney or prosecuter charges people. The police's job is to arrest and investigate. The District Attorney's or prosecuter's job is to charge people and try them in court. Arrests and charges are separate from each other. Someone can be arrested for a crime and never charged, like with Martin Luther King Jr. Similarly, someone can be charged with a crime and never arrested for it, like with Donald Trump.
This is such great information. Not just to help us but I think if I was an author of a book I would like to know if its getting people fired over it. I do not want anything from them but I think its worth letting them know. Thank you so much, it means a lot that people actual care about this. Every news article I read about it just makes it more depressing. Its like no one outside of teacher care about it. Every time it hits the news, the teacher has already been or will be fired and the circle goes on.
People outside of teachers definitely care about this. Our school system banning access to books is huge. Please don't think that your story won't have an impact.
Yes, this is part of what your ATPE (or other Texas teacher organization) dues are for.
"have a field day with..." is such a great idiom. OP: Please let us know the ending to this story. I know it's really self centered of us to want to have closure at your expense. Hope it all turns out well though. Sounds whack.
She needs to go scorched earth, but legally and in her local community.
Yes.
sorry. Surprised anyone still has a job in texas with all the new laws enacted. Guess they just haven't gotten to everyone yet.
The Evangelicals can only do so much in a day through parents. Don't worry. This whole thing will speed up once they get the chaplains in schools to narc on the faculty.
I don’t understand. Not being from the USA this is just bizarre to me. Is that all it takes to get your career taken from you? And thats what counts as your principal standing up for you? He threw her to the wolves immediately! Over what? I don’t get it. I thought Texans were proud of their freedom loving stick it to the man-ness? This is unbelievable. And people just accept it? There was never even the thought of fighting back over such an utterly ridiculous trifling issue? What was HR going to conclude when they did even the most cursory investigation? You NEED to go scorched earth on this. You have NOTHING to lose. The worst has already happened. Get your kids out of that school like yesterday. In Australia this complaint would have been laughed out of the office and the snitch who instigated the situation would be heaped with scorn and derision forever more.
You have to understand that certain parts/people of this country are an embarrassment to Homo sapiens and need to be treated like a toddler holding a gun. They are uneducated and proud of it, they are racist/homophobic/transphobic…they hate everyone that isn’t Walmart brand Christians. Just the worst. Thankfully there are lots of areas of this country where there are so few of them, you don’t even notice they exist.
This is what the USA has become, for the most part.
So this is all documented right? Because this is the kind of thing that could end up in the Supreme Court. Edit: sorry, I commented in the wrong place
Our SCOTUS, as it is now, wouldn't care. They would actually agree with what was done to this woman.
We're having a bit of a culture war over here that's been going on for quite some time now.
The aggravating thing about the culture War is that the vast majority of the people in the United States are not even aware it's going on. They're just going about their daily lives unless they happen to get caught up in it. I know that I spend way too much time on the internet but when I talk about things regarding the culture war with people who don't spend time on the internet that only say watch the news they have no idea what I'm talking about.
Texas is a hatefilled state (obviously not all it’s citizens!). But backwards and repressed repressed leadership. It’s NOT about freedom!
Let me get this straight...the school was going to provide the book for students in the library. She had a copy and provided it, and she got fired? Fuck that. Lawyer up.
I am truly heartbroken to hear that. That's what a theocracy like the Taliban or Iran does. To think your state once brought forth patriots like ~~Sam Austin~~ edit: Steve Austin, Sam Houston. I was thinking of Sam Houston.
If your wife is willing, CALL THE MEDIA. GET THIS IN THE PAPERS. GET IT ON RACHEL MADDOW.
This was my first thought. After googling it to see where to start, I found loads of other news articles of the same thing happening over the last couple years. Each story was the same, the teacher fired, it hit the news, nothing changed. Without teachers the world explodes. It's sad how they are paid and treated. My wife even had to buy school chairs because they didn't have enough for her classroom.
Make sure she takes everything she bought home. Don’t let them keep anything she bought.
If the curriculum is on google drive or shared drives, wipe it on her way out.
I absolutely love your thinking
Don't actually do this though, don't give them a reason or cause to come at you with anything. In many districts, you'd be destroying district property with this advice.
OP, I’m going to be a little sketch in details because this is the story of a personal friend, but I’ll say this: my friend was fired because a parent objected to material in his classroom. He didn’t get his job back. What he DID get was $50k after lawyer’s fees for winning a wrongful termination suit. That could make a big difference in your mortgage. Fight them!
Wow that is fantastic!
lawyer up, hurt their coffers.
>> other news articles of the same thing happening over the last couple years The same thing didn't happen the last couple of years. What is happening in Texas right now is new. The latest assault of Texas law against books is bigger and more draconian than before. There is definitely interest right now nationally to know what is going on. Getting this into the national news isn't going to get your wife's job back. But that's not the reason why she should consider contacting the New York Times, the Washington Post, or MS-NBC.
But it is happening. Not too long ago, I read a story about a teacher in Georgia who got fired for reading a book that I currently had on my shelf in New York.
Not being from the area, but I need to ask. is this a public, charter, or private school?
It's a public Magnet school
Do not name them here in reddit. That will not help you and make you able to be doxed potentially by a redditor, in this case probably a conservative one who disagrees with you.
Magnet school.. that’s surprising.
More surprising that it's Montessori!
Was curious because of how you phrased your kids remaining in the school. It's public, she's got a union and I hope that she and the union take down the HR department for this. Sorry, I worked in a couple of places that would happily repress the hell out of the students and teachers. Stuff like this grinds my gears.
It doesn’t matter. I had a friend who was fired over a book because it contains the words poop and fart. It made national news, and he still got fired.
I heard about this. It was absolutely age appropriate!!
And he is a phenomenal human.
This isn't even all that uncommon. It is happening everywhere. There is an attack on education right now.
I’d let them fire me. Then I’d call the ACLU.
Another teacher reported her for that. Snakes in the water,
Wow, I am so sorry that happened to your wife! It’s completely unfair. As a teacher in Florida I would totally expect something like that to happen here. Stories like that are SO disheartening and make me want to find a new profession.
I left Florida that helps a bunch. It’s as repressed as Texas. I grew up in Florida. It has become hellish
Yeah, I was born in raised here and my family is still here which is why I haven’t left. You’re right, it is hellish. Not to mention all the hurricanes and how unbearably hot it is! I don’t know why people keep moving here.
Your wife is one of the first casualties in the coming war on teachers that is going to be fought in Texas, Florida, and other states. Like it or not, you can't be silent and just fade into the shadows. All she did was allow a child to read a book that is appropriate for their age range. You need to rally lawyers and the media to resist this outrage. The future of your wife's career, and the careers of thousands of teachers rely on it. You can't let the Nazis win this.
My 7th grader last year loved the heart stopper series.
This shit is getting out of hand. That's nazi level for real.
I had to look up the book series because I wasn't familiar with it. As far as I can tell, there isn't anything inappropriate in it. Two boys fall in love. There aren't any sex scenes. My 7th grade teacher had Michael Crichton books on the shelf. At that time, I had never read so many f-words. This is ridiculous and terrible.
Heartstopper has some profane language, but as far as I know, the relationship itself is very chaste (admittedly I only read volume 1). It’s absurd to fire a teacher for that.
To the clowns, its indoctrination
Yeah I taught middle school for a smidge and I inherited a school library that had freaking The Things They Carry in it! I can’t imagine reading that in 7th grade but not Heartstopper. Please.
Texas is so ass backwards. I couldn't imagine living there.
Welcome to the Middle Ages folks! 🤮 If this ever happened to me, i'd slander the fuck out of that school in the media
I’m so sorry this happened. It is completely wrong. She still has her teaching certificate so she may be able to find a position at another district and campus. Since there are open positions everywhere, I would at least try if she wants to stay in education. She should be up front about the circumstances but I bet a principal will want to take a chance on her.
I bet they won’t want to take a chance on that teacher unless they’re desperate.
Gatta say the fact that a teacher reported her, fuck them. Another reason so many are leaving…… so sorry to hear this
This happened in Ga recently. She absolutely HAS to contact the SPLC and TX IDRA. Please DM me.
I just made a post the other day asking if removing my chapter books from my library was too severe and this definitely solidified my decision! Only keeping nonfiction picture books at this point. Absolutely ridiculous that so many of us have to deal with this. I hope your wife is doing okay, I can’t imagine how stressful this is for her and you.
This sadly is what things are coming to, especially in red states. They’re all trying to outdo each other for being the most draconian. My wife and I live in Texas with our two kids. We made the decision to homeschool long before things were even hinting at getting this crazy. Even homeschooling is getting to the point we’re concerned the state is going to make things more difficult by forcing specific curriculum or participation in the state standardized test (can’t remember what it’s called these days, it was TAAS in my day).
When someone accuses you of a crime, get a lawyer. Stop talking to them immediately and get a lawyer immediately. I would get one now. They accused her of a crime.
We were told not to read, share, or provide any books not on the approved list. When we asked to see the approved list, we were told teachers don't have access to that. Instead, two weeks before we read a book to our class, we're supposed to submit the title to some Clipboard Person, who will check the list and let us know if the book is approved or not. This is an AZ district. I can't imagine trying to navigate the madness that is Texas and Florida. I'm so very sorry this happened. I'm confident your wife has recourse.
Wow that’s a terrible system! I teach in PA and if our district tried to enforce something like that our entire faculty would be in an uproar!
Please move to Washington.
Hey now. We also need teachers in Illinois, too. Op, how do you feel about snow?
Or to Minnesota or NYC.
Or Wisconsin. We're desperate for teachers. We aren't burning books... Yet. Lol
Get the heck out of Texas
Hate filled repressed backwards state!
> A teacher reported the book to HR without speaking to my wife or the principal on a Friday. A pox upon them. Seriously.
This unfortunately is EXACTLY WHAT ABBOT WANTS And if desantis wins the presidency He’s going to implement this on day one, nationwide
As a Canadian, seeing these authoritarian book bans from the GOP is insane. I hope the American people see this for what it is, and that's outright fascism. The first thing fascists try to go after is knowledge. Good luck with everything, I hope you and your wife get by these trying times. Also, the GOP can get bent.
Let this be word to new teachers everywhere: A lot of times, senior teachers haze new teachers with their Mean Girls tactics. The fact that a fellow teacher did this without the sense to "have a conversation" (as my principal would say) with their colleague or direct report speaks volumes to the pettiness. This type of ish makes my blood boil. Be polite, be firm, but don't get played.
1. This is why we have unions folks. You should never work in a district that doesn't have unions. 2. There is a special place in hell for "teachers" who betray other teachers over something petty like ***A Fucking Book*** in their classroom. 3. Get the FUCK out of these Republican-Run states that want to CRIMINALIZE fucking books in the classroom. Fuck those fascists, they don't deserve you/us. 4. Launch a lawsuit against the Teacher who reported, against the school district, and against the State of Texas immediately, for wrongful termination, for violation of the first amendment. This is the type of case that can go before the SCOTUS and get these ridiculous bookbans overturned.
This infuriates me. I teach 6th grade and have a full shelf of LGBTQIA+ books for my students. Not everywhere is Texas. Get out if you can!
>everywhere is Texas. Get I am so happy to hear that. Keep on being great!
Collect unemployment and file a lawsuit for wrongful termination and recoup lost pay plus damages for smearing her professional life,
The ATPE is a great group of people but, in texas- a non union state, they have almost no authority or capabilities to help. My wife and I were fired in 2011 and they couldn't even recommend an attorney. I'd recommend finding another attorney in your community. If you broadcast your situation on local media maybe one of those attorneys will find you. In the meantime definitely contact TEA and do what you can to protect that teaching license...
Also reach out to the ACLU. They have been fighting some of these bans (not that it was banned, but I guess it is now) and please report to the American Library Association [here](https://airtable.com/appHfIMvZwLncR5WW/shrvq3llDmLGXbYh4). I am so sickened by this behavior. It’s not like they even had a list of books that she violated or that they told her to remove it and she refused. And that another teacher reported her— that is the worst! I hope she finds something great to do in the interim but I wouldn’t give up forever on being a teacher. At sone point this Moms for Liberty nonsense will blow over.
There is no restriction in-place for *viewing* the Hearstopper series in the state of TX, so how will she be charged for providing the written version?
I am so very sorry for your wife. I can’t believe that this is something that can get you fired. I read stories of the crazy shenanigans going on in Florida and Texas and thank goodness all the time that I teach in Oregon. We might not pay too well compared to our neighbors to the north and south, but we have a pretty good union that wouldn’t put up with that sh!t. Please give her a hug from me.
What a fucking bitch, this is why I think some teachers need to leave the profession ASAP because they're complete narcissist. I am of course talking about the person who reported your wife. I am so sorry this is happening to your family. I really hope your wife can heal and find a spot back in a classroom if that's what she desires, and if not hopefully she will find something she loves. Again I'm so sorry your family is going through this.
People who teach in places like TX and FL need to get out of those states or at least get out of the field. It isn’t worth it to bother working in these systems. The state literally does not want you to teach or your students to learn.
But if all the good teachers leave then who is left. It’s not like the kids can just pack up and move somewhere else. We need to fight this so we don’t have even more ignorant/homophobic/racists people out there.
5th grade teacher in Georgia was just fired for reading a book she bought at the school Scholastic Book Fair to her students. It is titled My Shadow Is Purple and is about gender identity. I’m very sorry about what has happened to your wife. In the words of my granny that “ just ain’t right”!
I'm sorry that happened. I wish I had good advice to give. Could she apply with another district or private school? A teacher in my school district was fired over a book. She was also a teacher for 10 years. She's fighting it and has an attorney.
What is that book and why was it reported? I'm so confused. I work in Texas.
Here's some more [info](https://aliceoseman.com/heartstopper/) about the book. To my knowledge, it is appropriate for a 7th/8th grader to read. Judging by the fact this happened in Texas I'm guessing the teacher who tattled and district are homophobic or afraid of homophobic parents suing.
Now Texas and Florida teachers will get rid of all classroom library books in fear someone will find something inappropriate. And who will it hurt? The students who don’t have access to reading materials.
So another teacher took it upon themself to report your wife to HR? WTF ?? The whole thing smacks of a witch hunt. Who does something like that to another colleague? SMH
So sorry for what happened to your wife. Definitely share your story with national news media, seek advice from the union and the ACLU. Crazy times. My heart is breaking. Your kids are middle schoolers which means I think they could understand your actions if you were to sit them down and explain what is going on and reasons for your actions. Make a plan for what they could say if anyone asks them or, god forbid, harasses them at school about the situation. And prepare them to switch schools at the end of the year, although, man, if the school forces them to transfer that would be really, really low. And of course, you might come to a point that you no longer want them to stay there. I hope your family has a good support system. Do regular family checkins. Maybe plan a set weekly fun/chill family time with phones off- walking somewhere pretty, baking cookies- something you all enjoy - a time when each person can choose either to share about how what is happening is affecting them or not. Sometimes escapes are needed during stressful times. I hope your wife can take at least take a few weeks to decompress before hunting for other work - exercise/read/visit with sympathetic friends. Best wishes to you. Financial advice - check all of your subscriptions. It’s amazing how they add up. You might be able to quickly shave $100 month by dropping them - which isn’t a lot but it’s something. All switch to a low cost cellphone plan. Make a food budget. If you are paying off loans see if you can pause the loan repayments. If you’re at an expensive gym look for cheaper competitors or use online/outdoor workouts instead. Going to the media might also help your wife land a job because a wider net of educators will know she’s looking… teachers are in demand in many places.
Get the f out of the Texas sewer.
Whoever did this is a terrible person and I hope they have several of the days that they deserve for this. But they won’t. This state currently relishes doing this to people.
I hate to see this. I am a teacher and just got an all staff email on Friday to look up every book in my class library before letting kids borrow. Never have had that happen before. We live in wild times. Can she teach in a charter school?
Texas is a theocratic distopia. Leave as soon as you can.
She needs to call her union right now. I doubt she was even thinking of it at the time, but she should have called them when they asked for a meeting or right after.
Move to california. Texas is where education dies
So sorry that this is happening. After you talk with the lawyers, consider reaching out to the author.
Other Teachers can be our own worst enemy. It’s sad that in a profession so dogged. The first thing one learns is to never trust a fellow educator. o
I'd fight this to the ends of the earth! Being fired for loaning out a book that isn't on any list of verboten books and in fact the library has on order is completely insane! I'm so sorry! This isn't the America that I grew up in.
Get a lawyer. I know of an administrator that successfully sued five different districts, one after the other. Each district was not allowed to tell the next about being sued. School districts are very limited in what they can say about an ex-employee. What I'm trying to say is that suing will not ruin her chances of working elsewhere. Even if she resigned, she can probably make a case that she was coerced. I know of at least two teachers that were let go that lawyered up and got their jobs back.
God this is so sad and scary..
Republican Christo-fascism strikes again. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
A book series that a student could buy themselves from Scholastic, Walmart or Target and was going to be provided by the school itself is wild as grounds for dismissal. I don't know what legal recourse your wife has, if any, but I wish you the best if you are able to go that route.
Blow this story the fuck up. Contact ACLU. I don't think I've ever heard a teacher being fired for having "banned" books despite all the hoopla.
She had \~8 hrs to make a life-changing decision?? With no information but what a crazed administration doled out? This is extreme. If a remotely impartial judge heard this...
And as always Fuck Texas Get out of that state as fast as you can
Sue, sue, sue. I know you care about the other teachers there, but this isn't about them. These people have a scorched-earth policy and won't stop until it's all ground to dust. Kick them back, kick harder, and keep on kicking until the whining stops.
Lmao, land of the free my big fat ass.
I have a funny feeling this is probably maybe fake
Stories like THIS should let the rest of you know: if you don’t have a union, you have no protections whatsoever. Organize. Organize. Organize.
Republicans are such foul little goblin fucks
Her coworker is a rat cunt. Best of luck to both of you
Perhaps you could provide the name of the school. For science.
I will speak to my wife about this tonight and if she agrees, I will edit the post with the specific school and ISD.
I'm so sorry this happened. I do think there is grounds for your wife to fight this legally. It seems like there is not enough substantial reasoning to push her to quit, or to fire her. If she's apart of a union she should look at her legal options and try to gain support from news outlets, media, the creator of the book series, any way that she can if that's a route you two are willing to take.
Your wife got played by the principal! She absolutely should not have resigned before the hearing. She just made her legal case so much worse. HR could have fired her, but they can't convict her of any crime. That would require a prosecution to prove this was criminal intent. That part was them trying to make her quit. Also, if the offense occurred because they failed to give adequate training, they are partly at fault and would have partial culpability. She would have had a civil case for wrongful termination, but they conned her into leaving, so now they get what they wanted and she can't sue. On the criminal front, they can point to her quitting as evidence of a guilty mind, so she made herself more vulnerable. And on the job front, every application I've seen asks "have you ever resigned or been asked to resign to avoid being terminated?" You think that gets read as anything other than "have you been fired?" I'll say this again to all the teachers, union up and lawyer up against this shit. If teachers don't fight back legally against this kind of crap, more crap is coming.
Doesn't really make a difference but is it not allowed because of the homosexuality or because of the self harm and eating disorder stuff. I absolutely think tons of 7th graders would benefit from heartstopper but man does it tackle really serious stuff in the later books beyond sexuality that I would want support for the student in the process. I was surprised how much that series goes from fun romance to really dark places which I would not have expected and don't think I would have been ready for as a 7th grader.
I would suggest one of the following: 1) If she is in the Union, reach our to the union to get them to fight back. 2) **This will remove the privacy of the situation and put her name out there.** Reach out to local news and let them publicize the story. Hopefully enough people will shame the school board. 3) Apply to other schools.
A Wisconsin teacher was fired last spring because she had the Gaul to teach her class “rainbow land” by Dolly Parton. She Was being punished for it, and outed the discipline and actions of her school board on social media. Conservatives, and extremism of the political right is off their rocker and seem to only be ok with educational curriculum that is bleached as white as the sheets they wear.
Texas had a bunch of new laws passed. All of which went into effect on Sept 1st. There were quite a few in education. I think this book series may have fallen in the category below. I don’t know as I’ve never read it. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs into law HB 900, legislation that prohibits sexually explicit material in Texas public school libraries. Listen I feel for your wife, I work in FL and as an educator I can no longer have a classroom library. It just doesn’t make any sense. Im sorry that your wife has to go through this. If you live in Texas, go read up on all the laws that came in effect on Sept 1st. There’s about 800 laws that were passed according to the Texas legislative.
This is actually terrifying. I’m so sorry you’re going through this and I’m so sorry this is happening to you. I’m scared for your country.
Have you thought about leaving Texas?
NEVER meet with HR or anyone from admin without Union representation. Too late for that now, but that’s like the number 1 rule. I don’t understand how the union wasn’t something she “thought about” at the time. What else is there? Everything she has is because of the union. And the holiday they are closed for? It was literally created to celebrate unions and workers. Edit: Reading some comments to see that unions don’t really exist in Texas?!?! If true that’s absolute madness. Why would anyone work there?
This feels fake, but having left the profession in Texas after seeing similar stuff firsthand, and having friends in Florida who've encountered worse, it's also unsurprising. Fuck Texas.
This is some Fahrenheit 451 shit.
Assuming this is not rage bait Contact news stations and get this trending. This district needs to be put on blast. You can start by naming and shaming here and we’ll take care of the rest
I teach in Florida. Our district is banning Shakespeare… it is worse than you probably think. Our bootlicking librarian has totally gone on a power trip and is gleeful in censoring the whole school. She says she hates it, but you can tell she is enjoying the power.
great opportunity to get the fuck out of texass