Alabama cafeteria worker fired for raising money to feed students who couldn't afford school lunch

Avette Dunn worked in the cafeteria of Shelby Elementary School in Alabama for years before she lost her job. Reason? Well, she accepted donations to help students pay for their lunches, as per Al.com. Reportedly, Dunn wasn't honest when officials asked her about the donations. Moreover, the Shelby County officials said accepting donations wasn't part of her job.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lewis Brooks, who insisted the longtime cafeteria worker be fired, accused her of being insubordinate and said Dunn asked for money for the "Parent Teacher Organization" lunch account. "This situation has nothing to do with feeding students. Every student in every school has access to a nutritious breakfast and lunch during the school day. This is not about someone being punished for trying to feed needy children. It is about an employee who solicited money that was not needed because the fund was not low. She was not truthful when questioned by her supervisor and a district supervisor," he added in his statement.  As part of her testimony, Dunn stated that she had been on "detached duty" and that she wanted to resume her job. "I made a mistake, and I think I should be able to go back to my job. In my opinion, I should’ve been suspended for two weeks, but I’ve been off since October, and I don’t think I should get terminated just for not telling [about the donation]," Dun said.

She also confessed she didn't talk about the donation only because the donor wished to remain anonymous, adding that she wanted to ensure no child goes hungry from the cafeteria. While Dunn stood against criticism, the Alabama Education Association came forward to extend its support. Calling her service "exemplary," they said, "These donations were properly placed into the student account designated for this purpose. At no point did Ms. Dunn or her colleagues misuse these funds. Every dollar was accounted for and used solely to ensure no child at her school went hungry." Notably, Peg Hill, a school board member, lowkey appreciated Dunn for accepting her mistake, but said he didn't understand why she had to lie to the school's principal. As the incident continued to gain traction, many came in to support the former cafeteria worker.

For instance, u/angryyowie commented, "Kids' lunches should be free. When kids are fed, they are more likely to perform better, but when they go hungry, they tend to fall through the gaps and into low-paying, low-skilled jobs. Which I guess is their whole aim." Surprisingly, malnutrition, as per UNICEF, accounts for 45% of all deaths in children under 5 years of age. This not only speaks volumes about the silent global crisis but also underscores how preventable these deaths are with timely access to adequate nutrition. Similarly, u/rahnbj said, "This makes me sad. It’s more than proof that we’ve lost sight of what’s important here: feeding children. If folks are willing to subsidize this through donations, fine. As long as the money is going for the lunches, then who cares? Be thankful your community cares; educating our children is already hard — no need to make it harder. IMO." u/crimson_scare_crow wrote, "In other words, she is being fired because the donations didn’t go to the school board’s pockets."

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