A cafeteria worker at an elementary school in Alabama was fired for accepting donations for the school’s lunch program and then lying to the principal during a public questioning, per the NY Post. Avette Dunn was terminated from Shelby Elementary School after the school board determined that her trustworthiness had been compromised due to the incident that occurred in October. 

Dunn, who had been employed in the district for almost 10 years, accepted a donation to the school’s parent-teacher organization fund intended for school lunches, as reported by ABC 33/40. However, the school stated that it was not part of Dunn’s responsibility to collect money since she had not been trained to manage such transactions. School board members made their decision to terminate her following a six-hour hearing on Monday night.

Avette Dunn’s Defense

Dunn’s legal team argued that her job description did not prohibit her from collecting donations. She claimed she only spoke to the donor after they reached out to her and was aware that funds were low. Principal Stacy Aderholt confronted Dunn in the crowded cafeteria about the donation. Dunn admitted to lying to protect the donor’s identity, fearing the consequences of accepting the contribution. Several cafeteria staff monitored the funds, and part of Dunn’s role was to ensure students’ accounts had enough money.

“It’s imperative you can be trusted” in the role, said principal Aderholt, according to the outlet. Dunn’s lawyers argued that the money was not misused and was properly added to the fund. They pointed to her positive employee reviews that showed she had a good work history. However, the district stated that her lies about the money were a serious matter that couldn’t be overlooked. Dunn said, responding to her termination, “I made a mistake and I think I should be able to go back to my job. In my opinion, I think I should’ve been suspended for two weeks… “I don’t think I should get terminated just for not telling.”

#Clique, what are your thoughts?