One Idaho school lady is reportedly out of a job this holiday season following claims that she was fired for giving a free meal to a student who said she didn't have enough money to buy a meal.
Dalene Bowden said she was working at Irving Middle School last week when the 12-year-old girl told her she didn't have any lunch money and was hungry, according to NBC's Ohio affiliate KPVI-TV.
In response, she "handed her the food and said 'here we'll take care of it in a minute.'"
However, her supervisor saw the entire situation unfold and reported the incident, according to FOX's St. Louis affiliate KTVI-TV.
"He said I was on permanent leave until he called me. I should not call them. He will call me. And they never called me. I got the letter," she explained, later adding the letter said she was terminated for "theft."
Asked why she did it, even at the risk of her losing her job. Bowden said it was because it was the right thing to do, according to PIX 11.
"Cause they're hungry. What do you do? Send them out there, so they can get it taken away and thrown away? No!"
Since news of her termination was broadcast an online petition calling for her reinstatement has launched. As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition has 47,518 signatures.
