Former Cafeteria Worker Speaks Out After Being Fired for Accepting Donations to Pay for Kids' Lunches

Mar. 15, 2025

An Alabama school board fired a school cafeteria worker for accepting donations to help students pay for their lunch.

At Monday’s hearing, Dunn said she wanted to get her job back, as she had been on “detached duty” since October, according to Al.com, which cited news reports.

“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, but I’ve been off since October, but I don’t think I should get terminated just for not telling,” Dunn said, per WVTM.

Dunn reportedly said that she did not reveal the donations because the donor preferred to stay anonymous, according to WBMA, adding that she wanted to make sure children didn’t go hungry in the school’s cafeteria.

She also said she did not know of any written rules about accepting donations on behalf of the student meal account, Al.com reported.

In a Feb. 21 media advisory issued three days before the hearing, and later shared with PEOPLE,  the Alabama Education Association expressed its support for Dunn and called her eight years of service “exemplary.”

“These donations were properly placed into the student account designated for this purpose,” said the association in a statement. “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.”

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He added: “Every employee that works in a school has to be a person of trust because we are responsible for the communities’ and parents’ most precious commodity - their children - and the resources to support them.”

source: people.com