The Fountain Hills Unified School District board decided to fire Pam Aister, a teacher of 24 years, after being accused of telling a group of students to shut up after they taunted another student with racist slurs.

The board said that they could not substantiate claims of racially motivated bullying, yet decided to fire Aister based on the unsubstantiated claims of 4th grade students.

This decision is ridiculous, over the top, and logically offensive. The "crime" in question is telling a group of students to "shut up" and the punishment is loss of career leaving a long time and well respected teacher and her elderly mother with no source of income? This decision is cruel and a wildly inappropriate disciplinary action.

Furthermore, the lesson being taught to students through this case is damaging. This serves only as an example to reinforce the status quo - teaching students that standing up against racism and bullying is ineffective and personally damaging, and that authoritative powers will not work for justice but in favor of those who are already in positions of power and privilege. It also displays a lack of regard for teachers, as human beings and as valuable members of our community.

More troubling than the idea of a teacher (allegedly) telling a group of students to "shut up" is the idea that we might have 9 and 10-year-olds in the community bullying each other and using the n-word, and other racial slurs. If any action should have been taken in this case it would have been a special assembly in school educating students about bullying and racism.

This decision needs to be overturned - for the sake of Pam Aister, as well as the entire community, and perhaps most especially as a lesson to FHUSD students about justice, appropriate punishment, and trust in authority.