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PHOENIX — A veteran teacher has lost her job after helping to defend a bullied student.

Pam Aister has taught elementary school for 25 years, but in May 2014, she was accused of threatening and bullying students in her classroom as well as not reporting the incident to administration. Fountain Hills Unified School District fired her on Sept. 29 after hearing testimony from students, parents and Aister herself.

Aister was a long-time fourth grade teacher at Four Peaks Elementary School, according to ABC 15, when she defended a child in her classroom who was being bullied by five other children. The African-American student had a record of previously being bullied. According to Aister, the other children surrounded him, taunting him and calling him racial slurs. Aister overheard and decided to take action.

“I said (Student 11) is in my room now, he’s not alone any more, and if you’re picking on him, you’re picking on me,” Aister explained to Mac and Gaydos on Tuesday. “It’s not five against one, it’s five against two, and there will be no more taunting, teasing or racial names.”

Aister says the boys nodded their heads and listened but later went home and told their parents that their teacher had been the one doing the bullying.

At the school board meeting, Aister’s reputation as a tough teacher was also thrown into question, but she says students believe she is fun, firm and fair.

“When the kids come into my classroom, they are allowed to sit where they want to… as long as they follow certain manners,” she said. “If I’m teaching a lesson, I expect no talking.”

She said two of boys in question that were accused of bullying were also involved in another incident in her classroom and would continuously talk during her lessons. Aister said she asked the students to stop talking and follow the rules, but the students were eventually switched out of her care and moved into another classroom at the behest of their parents. Additionally, Student 11, the boy they were accused of bullying, had asked to be moved to Aister’s classroom to get away from previous bullying.

Aister does not know what her next steps will be and whether she will fight this decision.