WASHINGTON — A West Tennessee girl ended up with an in-school suspension for saying “bless you” after a classmate sneezed.
Kendra Turner is a senior in Dyer County High School.
The teacher sent Turner to the principal’s office on Monday morning after she said “bless you” to another student who sneezed.
The teacher has a list of things students are not allowed to say in class, and it includes “bless you.” Other words or phrases on the list include “stupid,” “I don’t know,” “dumb,” “boring and “my bad.”
Turner’s parents met with school officials on Tuesday and were told the comment was shouted across the room. The teen also was combative with the teacher, the New York Daily News reports.
Turner admits challenging the teacher, saying it was her constitutional right to say “bless you.”
Assistant Principal Lynn Garner tells the Star Gazette teachers are allowed to set rules for their classrooms, and that this issue has been blown out of proportion.
“I think this has really been blown out of proportion on social media, but I will say this in regard for our teachers. There is not one here I don’t trust my own kids with and my kids are here and other relatives are here or have been here. I trust the teachers and beyond a shadow of a doubt all of our teachers have the students best interest at heart,” added Garner. “They treat the kids with respect, and I think the majority of the students believe the teachers genuinely care about them,” Garner tells the paper.
The suspension lasted for one period.
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