'I got my principal fired when I was 12': Singled-out student defeats tyrant school principal

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Sep 1, 2023 9:00 AM EDT

There are times in our lives when we mistakenly believe that an authority figure has our best interests in mind… when really their only vested interest is in their own authority—and their ability to wield it with impunity. Yes, these people grew up believing that the phrase "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" was some kind of challenge—a promise of reward for tyranny.

In 7th grade, this student got into trouble for using inappropriate language towards a teacher and received an in-school suspension for three days. During this time, they got an additional two days of suspension for the simple act of smiling. The student disagreed with the principal's handling of these situations, finding them to be specifically targeting what the principal perceived to be insubordination as a means of control rather than an actual infraction of real rules. 

The student started writing letters to the superintendent about various incidents where they believed the principal showed poor leadership—like not intervening to stop fights and allowing disrespectful behavior from other students. The principal confronted the student and their parents about the letters, claiming they had limited freedom of speech at school. With their parent's support, the student continued to write the letters, eventually receiving an encouraging response from the superintendent. 

When they returned to school the following year for 8th grade… the principal was nowhere to be seen.

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  • 01
    Photograph - all Margaret vi Dounds D NI
    via Nicola Tolin

    also via: Taylor Flowe & Felix Koutchinski

  • 02
    Font - Posted by u/Era8_Legit 2 hours ago How I got my principal fired when I was 12 When I was in 7th grade I got in trouble early in the year for cussing out a teacher. Fair enough, as a result I got 3 days of in school suspension. During those 3 days of in school suspension I got an additional 2 days of in school suspension for smiling, yes I'm not joking I was smiling. Something funny happened, I saw it, I smiled.
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 03
    Font - I appealed that with the principal. He told me in school suspension is not about having fun and he supports this. This principal also lacked any back bone, he was a horrible principal...so I decided to write a letter campaign. Every single time I witnessed him do anything that I felt was wrong or not good leadership for the students I'd write his superintendent a letter.
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 04
    Font - Some examples of the letter • One letter was about the time we had a school pep rally and at that rally there was a fight between football players. The principal instead of helping left the gym and provided no leadership. • Another letter was about a time a student told the principial to shut the f up to his face and he did nothing to the student clearly indicating everyone can say fo you to his face Then, that 2nd letter is where he fed up.
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 05
    Font - He pulled me and my parents into his office and told them I can't be writing letters to his superintendent. I told him I can write letters to whomever I please, he said I don't have freedom of speech, I said to show me the law that says I don't have freedom of speech. He showed me some law that says he has a lot of say of what I can and can't do at school, and my dad simply said "That's fine, I help him write those letters at home" he then told us in no uncertain terms the letter writing
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 06
    Font - My parents encouraged me to stop, but after much thought the stakes dawned on me • I'm a 7th grader, this is 7th grade, in middle school, its not that big of a deal, even if he screws me over whats the worst he can do? Make me repeat? • This is his career, stakes are far bigger for him He has more to lose then I do FO it, lets write.
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 07
    Font - • So I wrote another letter, this one was long. It recounted the meeting, outlined the laws around freedom of speech and students, and pointed out how the principal was trying to suppress freedom of speech which is a clear violation of my freedom of speech and since he's a govt employee, that's really not good. Remember, the duty to protect freedom of speech is the govt legal responsibility.
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 08
    Font - This letter got us a letter from the superintendent. In this letter he encouraged me to keep writing my letters and that I need to focus on staying as close to the facts as possible and be as detailed as I can. He also confirmed that I have my freedom of speech and I can write as many letters as I like. So I kept writing letters I wrote a total 3 more • One letter was about how it appeared the principial was unfairly targeting me in enforcement of the rules, and I laid out the examples •
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 09
    Font - I noticed as the year wore on the principal stopped talking to me, and towards the end he seemed defeated. Everytime I'd look into his eyes that May it felt like I was staring a dead man in his eyes. I got no idea if my letters had an impact, I suspect they did. Because for 8th grade we had a new principal :) While the principal didn't visit every student individually, he did make sure to have a short friendly chat with me at lunch one day. I suspect he was raising the peace flag early on
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 10
    Font - TL:DR started a letter writing campaign against my principal to get him fired, he got fired, I was 12. O yea, as for grammar I know mine still s (learning disability). My mom proof-read all my letters, but asking her as a grown man to proof- read my reddit post feels weird, so be nice.
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 11
    Font - delicioustreeblood 2 hr. ago . Da, little Andy Dufresne here tryna get a library for the prison ЛО 303 46 Reply Share PeterHorvathPhD. 2 hr. ago Maybe he also got his little pickaxe, who knows. 413 13 ●●● Reply Share El_Cartografo. 2 hr. ago with what's in the safe, he can get pretty much what he wants. Reply Share
    via u/Era8_Legit
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    Font - Forever Overthinking 2 hr. ago It's not the crime, it's the coverup. Reply Share 216 ●●● Era8_Legit OP. 2 hr. ago Also smiling, shouldn't be a crime. Reply Share 133
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 13
    Font - CheekyCheetoMonster 2 hr. ago You know at first I was skeptical of a 12 year old doing all this and knowing laws, but then I remembered when I was in grade 7 and our class banded together to write a letter about this substitute teacher we had that was rat, smelly and a bad teacher. So right, on was a great read! 105 Reply Share 56 TheRedMaiden 2 hr. ago I teach middle school. Can confirm the little sho are foing thorough when they're organized. It's magnificent to witness. ●●● Reply Share
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 14
    Font - Marrsvolta 2 hr. ago He really thought he could tell you that you aren't allowed to have freedom of speech at home smh 20 Reply Share 18 ●●● Era8_Legit OP. 1 hr. ago He was trying to use his authority to limit my actions in school and hoping I wouldn't connect the dots that the authority doesn't extend into my home. Reply Share ●●●
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 15
    Font - theDagman 4 hr. ago . Have you ever done a google search for the principal since? It may prove to be informative as to the nature of his job displacement. As well as being very entertaining! 14 Reply Share ●●●
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 16
    Font - Opinionsare 4 hr. ago As an American, I thank you for your service.. When the superintendent sends you a positive response, reinforcing your efforts to report the situation, you know that you have his ear.. 20 Reply Share ●●● Era8_Legit OP · 4 hr. ago My parents where really shocked by the letter, at the time I didn't see the significance. But thinking back this was clearly him saying "I'm listening, keep talking, don't lie" 22 Reply Share
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 17
    Font - TickTockGoesTheClock 4 hr. ago FQ yeah, OP. Great story. Thanks for sharing. Standing up to bullies is one of the hardest skills to learn and heaviest burdens to take on. You were out there doing it in the 7th da grade. I hope you're proud of yourself. 18 Reply Share
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 18
    Font - Different_Parsley Tyrants hate it when you go over their head, and that's exactly what you need to do. Well done. 8 700 4 hr. ago . Reply Share
    via u/Era8_Legit
  • 19
    Font - epicenter69 4 hr. ago . Telling you to stop writing letters was clue #1 that he was probably already a target of an ongoing investigation that you were only helping prove the case about. The fact that the Superintendent encouraged you to continue tells me they needed just a couple more nails to seal that coffin, Good on you for standing your ground. Out of curiosity, did you pursue a legal career? 8 Reply Share
    via u/Era8_Legit

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