Acclaimed Teacher Fired Over Dirty Diaper

Two weeks after Kelly Hahn was awarded "Pre-K Teacher of the Year" in St. Louis last fall, she was put on administrative leave. The reason appears to be child neglect and endangerment, reports KTVI, though St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Kelvin Adams wouldn't confirm this, saying at a public forum last week that he cannot discuss personnel matters. Parents of preschoolers at the Wilkinson Early Childhood Center magnet school say the only possible instance of neglect was when a 3-year-old was accidentally sent to school in a pullup diaper and, instead of immediately taking it off, Hahn called the parent instead. Another staff member apparently called the Missouri Department of Social Services.

"She loves those kids, and there's no substitute for that," says one parent; Hahn's replacement is reportedly a substitute teacher who isn't certified. Parents got a little feisty at a recent forum, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, when several heckled the superintendent and one man threatened to have Adams fired. Adams responded that he wouldn't be able to satisfy the parents because he can't speak publicly about the matter: "Doing so would be illegal." Hahn's hearing is scheduled for March 4. (This preschool teacher was accused of giving toddlers sleeping pills.)