Teacher Sends Parent A Text Out Of The Blue Saying She Wants To Take Her Child Home To Raise Her
When the mother brought it to the school’s attention, she wasn’t taken seriously.
Asia Images Group and FGC via Shutterstock / photobyphotoboy and Feminine Inspire For U via Canva It's natural for teachers to create a rapport with their students. And as teachers are considered "mandated reporters," they're trained to recognize when something may not be quite right with a student's home life. In those instances, teachers are required to report suspected neglect — however, according to one mother on TikTok, one teacher took her concerns in a different direction.
The teacher texted her student's mother to tell her she was open to raising her child for her.
A woman named Kirsta Bowman, known as @karpoozy on TikTok, posted a TikTok revealing a Facebook post she came across written by a mother who claimed that a teacher reached out to her regarding her daughter.
“Yesterday my daughter’s teacher contacted me randomly saying she would take my child to raise because she was worried about her,” the post read. “Mind you she has not contacted me about my child’s wellbeing prior to this,” the mom qualified.
The mom posted screenshots alleged to be between her and her child's teacher, showing the teacher's initial text stating that the child "can come live with me if you want."
Naturally concerned about what would prompt this message, the mom asked for "background on why she would be saying something like this." In response, the teacher was vague, writing, "She's very upset," adding that "she's struggling with peers" and "always looking for an argument."
According to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, this teacher's concerns do not meet the criteria of child abuse and neglect.
While these are certainly valid concerns for a teacher to have about a student, the teacher clearly overstepped boundaries when reaching out to the mother in hopes of taking in the child herself, which is not the course of action a teacher should legally take when concerned about a child's well-being. Instead, teachers should report concerns to child protection services.
Obviously alarmed by the teacher's statement, the mom asked for more information, but according to the mom's post, the teacher "refused to explain herself any further." After the teacher's repeated attempts to back away from the situation, the mother texted, “This isn’t a never mind thing. You don’t text a parent about her child and then say never mind. If it’s a problem then we need to get it figured out.”
“[Your daughter] needs attention. I’m just willing to take her. But clearly that’s not okay with you,” the teacher responded, ending the conversation.
After contacting the principal and superintendent of the school and district, she claimed that neither of them took her seriously.
The mom wrote that when she was finally able to get into a meeting with the vice principal, they laughed in her face about it. It wasn’t until she filed a police report for the situation that the teacher was reportedly placed on paid administrative leave until the investigation was completed.
Unsurprisingly, other parents and teachers chimed in, sharing their shock and pointing out the audacity of the teacher, with many calling for her to be fired.
"How big is your sense of entitlement for you to cold call a student's parent and ask, 'hey, can I have your child?'" Bowman asked in her first video detailing the story.
While there have been heartwarming instances of teachers adopting their students, this is certainly not the way to go about it.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.