New Hampshire teacher fired for lying to sneak student to abortion clinic behind parents’ backs

A New Hampshire teacher has been fired after it was revealed she secretly took a special education student to an abortion clinic.

The teacher, who has not been named, was reportedly employed by Regional Services and Education Center (RSEC) in Amherst, New Hampshire, and was dismissed following an investigation by school administrators.

RSEC is a nonprofit organization that serves middle and high school students with special educational needs in schools across Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

According to the Daily Mail, the New Hampshire Department of Education accused the teacher of “failing to properly supervise and abide by ethical standards regarding student boundary protocols with a student under your care.” 

The investigation revealed the teacher had called in sick, claiming to have food poisoning, when in fact she was driving the pregnant student to a “medical appointment” during school hours to access abortion services. 

The teacher also had “been conversing with the student for 2.5 weeks regarding the medical appointment,” during which time she helped the student determine the stage of her pregnancy and find a facility where the abortion could be performed, all without the parents’ knowledge. 

Under state law, minors under 18 seeking an abortion must notify a parent or guardian 48 hours before the abortion is performed. 

It is unknown whether the student actually received an abortion and, if she did in New Hampshire, how the notification requirement was met. However, in nearby Massachusetts, individuals aged 16 or 17 can obtain an abortion without parental consent or notification. 

The incident came to light in April, when Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut wrote an op-ed titled “Thank God someone is looking out for the children,” where he mentioned complaints from parents and educators about misconduct and political agendas in public schools.  

“Or when, allegedly, an educator lies by calling in sick so they can take a student – without parental knowledge – to get an abortion,” Edelblut wrote. “Should we turn a blind eye?” 

State Rep. Erica Layon, R-Derry, expressed her shock over the incident in a statement to Fox 45 News.  

“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,” she said. 

State Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, echoed those sentiments, emphasizing the importance of parental involvement in a child’s life.  

“Parents have the right to know everything that is happening to their child in school,” Lang told Fox 45. “Keeping secrets or going behind a parent’s back is never good public policy. It’s not good for the child, either. It teaches children, by the actions of ‘trusted adults,’ it’s OK to be deceptive, which is not creating good citizens for our future.” 

The teacher has since been hired to work at a public school district in New Hampshire, according to the Boston Globe. Although the school district had redacted the teacher’s name in documents turned over in a freedom of information request, the Globe found the name in some metadata. In its reporting, the newspaper did not make the name public, citing the privacy of the minor involved. 

However, the Globe did report the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School Board voted in early May to accept the teacher’s nomination for a job beginning in August. It is unclear if the school board and administrators knew of the investigation before the hiring decision was made.