Teacher Takes Student to Hospital and Pays Bill, Loses Job

An award-winning teacher from Tennessee alleges she was forced to resign from her post at Red Bank High School after taking a student to the emergency room and paying the charges.
According to reports by area news station WTVC-TV , Mitts took the ill 20-year-old student, who did not have health insurance, to the emergency room. She paid up on the students behalf.  But according to Mitts, the moment the school got wind of her act of charity, school officials:

“dictated to (me) what (I) should write in the resignation letter, including forcing (me) to waive (my) right to a hearing.”

Officials at the school say Jennifer Mitts was threatened with a temporary suspension for her actions, and that she resigned voluntarily. Either way – this is surely a case of ‘no good deed goes unpunished’.
Stacey Stewart, assistant superintendent of human resources for the district, told local outlet WDEF-TV:

“It’s a liability issue. It’s an issue of insubordination after doing something you were officially warned not to do and doing it again. It’s an issue of neglect of duty because the classroom was left unattended. There’s several issues,” Stewart said.

A petition has been set up in support of Mitts, who has taught students at Red Bank for 14 years.  The petition has gathered over 1,100 signatures by Tuesday morning. The petition highlights the fact that Mitts was warned after taking a seriously ill student to the emergency room once before – but is this a serial offender, or a woman who simply reacts with an appropriate level of compassion and pragmatism in the face of a crisis?

“Even though both students may have suffered harm by not going to the doctor, Principal Roberts saw fit to give Miss Mitts the choice of being fired or resigning for her good deeds,” reads the petition.

A commenter on the petition also claims to be the student whom Mitts took to the doctor last year.  They have nothing but praise for the life saving intervention.
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