A New Hampshire educator was terminated after reportedly assisting a student in obtaining an abortion without parental knowledge.
A New Hampshire Department of Education report indicates that the teacher had been advising the student about a medical appointment for weeks. On the day of the procedure, the educator called in sick, citing food poisoning, to transport the student to a clinic during school hours. The report confirmed that the educator’s claim of food poisoning was false. However, the teacher said the student had no support from anyone, “so they offered to go with them.”
Prior to their termination, the teacher was placed on paid administrative leave after administrators became aware.
The incident, which came to light through a state Department of Education investigation, has drawn criticism from some New Hampshire legislators, NH Journal reported.
State Rep. Erica Layon expressed her dismay, stating, “I am horrified to hear that a teacher in our New Hampshire schools felt the right way to help a pregnant student who felt unsupported in her pregnancy was to research abortion facilities and call out sick to take a student to an abortion rather than to help her speak with her parents and find support from her family.”
State Sen. Tim Lang emphasized the importance of transparency in schools, asserting, “Parents have the right to know everything that is happening to their child in school. Keeping secrets or going behind a parent’s back is never good public policy.” He further explained that such behavior sets a troubling precedent for youth, and when authority figures engage in deceitful behavior, it implicitly condones dishonesty, which can negatively shape future generations.
Melanie Israel from The Heritage Foundation noted that students typically require parental consent for off-campus activities. Planned Parenthood confirms that New Hampshire law mandates that for individuals under 18 seeking an abortion, a parent must be notified 48 hours before the procedure.