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Public commenter alleges wrongful termination of 2nd-grade teacher
Summary
Sydney Earls told the Milton-Freewater Unified SD 7 board that her mother, 2nd-grade teacher Jennifer Earls, was terminated Jan. 12, 2026 after administrators flagged an expired license and an earlier complaint about religious practice; Earls asked the board to consider alleged disparate treatment and lack of access to investigation notes.
Sydney Earls, introduced by the board during public comment, told the Milton-Freewater Unified SD 7 board that her mother, 2nd-grade teacher Jennifer Earls, was removed from the classroom on Jan. 12, 2026 after district staff said her teaching license had expired.
"I'm here to speak on what I believe as the wrongful termination of recent 2nd, grade teacher, Jennifer Earls," Sydney Earls said during the public-comment period, describing conversations at the district office and claiming the district offered inconsistent treatment in a similar earlier case. She said the district initially declined to provide investigation notes and that staff directed her mother to leave immediately; an email to staff described the separation as "personal reasons," she said.
Earls told the board that a prior parent complaint had alleged students were "forced to pray on their knees and read from the Bridal" and that a follow-up meeting included HR staff; she said the meeting demeanor changed and that her mother's union representative was limited from speaking. She alleged the family later learned community members were told the teacher had been fired for "teaching about Jesus in the classroom."
Board materials presented during the meeting included the public-comment guidelines; the board did not respond during the public-comment period, consistent with policy. No district speaker provided a contemporaneous administrative response during the meeting record. The public commenter asked the board to be aware of the events and the effect on students who lost a teacher midyear.
The board meeting record shows no formal personnel decision taken in open session on this item; the matter, as described by the commenter, involves personnel, investigations and union representation. The district did not offer a statement during the meeting; the complaint and the commenter’s assertions would typically be handled through the district’s personnel and complaint procedures and, if appropriate, through the union grievance process.
