Darlene Bowden VS Pocatello/Chubbuck School District: School Cafeteria Worker Gets Fired After Feeding Hungry Student; Petition For Job Reinstatement In The Works?

Reports about a school cafeteria worker having been fired after she gave a hungry 12-year-old girl with no money for lunch have been swirling earlier this year. Following the incident, Irving Middle School has been receiving backlash from students and parents alike, calling the happening a no-brainer.

Darlene Bowden reportedly received a letter of termination shortly after she gave the young girl a free hot meal on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Idaho State Journal shared that the institution called the cafeteria worker a "theft of school district property and inaccurate transactions when ordering, receiving and serving food."

Darlene said she offered to pay for the lunch worth $1.70, but her supervisor declined to accept her money. "I know I screwed up, but what are you supposed to do when the kid tells you that they're hungry and they don't have any money?" she said, admitting she was cautioned about giving a student a cookie for free on one occasion. "This is just breaking my heart."

She added that her supervisor places her on leave and received a signed letter from Pocatello/Chubbuck School District on Monday informing that she had been fired for theft of school property.

Darlene's firing sparked outrage which prompted some to write a petition calling for her job to be reinstated. As of Thursday, it has already garnered a total of 74,000 signatures.

Meanwhile, NBC News informed that the school district issued a press release on Wednesday night which stated that it has extended an opportunity for Darlene to return to her job "in the spirit of the holidays." It was emphasized in the release that the cafeteria worker was not terminated because of the free meal, citing a state law was excluding it from "commenting on the specifics regarding personnel matters." The institution also wrote that it "has not ever taken negative employment action against any food service worker due to a singular event of this nature."

The news media outlet shared that several studies have found that hungry children perform worse in school. As a matter of fact, National Education Association has found out that missing meals affect a student's performance and behavior in school.

Do you think Pocatello/Chubbuck School's decision to fire Darlene Bowden is just and right? Share to us your thoughts in the comment section below.