St. Lucie Public Schools have hit back at a teacher who claims she was fired for giving students grades of zero if they failed to turn in work. Diane Tirado had been a teacher for 17 years but lost her job after she refused to give the requisite 50% to students who didn’t complete assignments. However, the school says there’s more to the story than that, and that Tirado was actually terminated for more serious offenses.
- Tirado taught Social Studies to eighth-graders at West Gate K-8 School. When she gave the students a project with a due date two weeks away. However, even after having adequate time to complete the work, some students didn’t turn it in and received a grade of zero from Tirado in return. However, this went against the school’s policy of giving students 50% even if there’s no work to grade. “If there’s nothing to grade, how can I give somebody a 50%?” the reportedly said in response.
- Her contract with the school was terminated after kids and parents complained. Tirado’s refusal to change the students’ grades even after complaints were made. However, she left a note on the whiteboard of her classroom on her way out. It read: “Bye kids, Mrs. Tirado loves you and wishes you the best in life! I have been fired for refusing to give you a 50% for not handing anything in. [heart] Mrs. Tirado.”
- The school denies this was the only reason for her firing. The school claims there were other performance issues of Tirado’s that had been noted on several occasions, hence the reason she was let go. “Ms. Tirado was released from her duties as an instructor because her performance was deemed sub-standard and her interactions with students, staff, and parents lacked professionalism and created a toxic culture on the school’s campus,” a spokesperson for the district told KSAT. “During her brief time of employment at West Gate, the school fielded numerous student and parent complaints as well as concerns from colleagues. Based on new information shared with school administrators, an investigation of possible physical abuse is underway.”
- Tirado denies the allegations against her. Some of the claims against her were that she put a student in a choke-hold and that she slapped another student on the backside. Asked if she did these things, she said, “No, I did not,” according to CBS 12. However, the district insists that she violated 20 Principals of Professional Conduct and School Board Polices, including humiliating students and creating a toxic environment. Asked if she was guilty of humiliating the students, Tirado responded, “Um, it depends. I say no, but it depends on the constitute of the person, what they would constitute as humiliate, no.”
