To our Superintendent of Vance County Schools, Dr. Jackson,

This is a petition to reinstate Mrs. Wiggins from her current 5-day suspension from teaching at Southern Vance High School and to officially reduce her punishment as to not smear her record so harshly.

Mrs. Wiggins was suspended from teaching for saying the word “ass” to a student. It should be noted she did not call a student an ass. She said: "I cannot pull it out of my ass." While she is in the wrong for using unprofessional language, we as the students of Southern Vance High School, feel that her punishment was rash and undeserved, and the entire situation was handled extremely poorly. We have decided to express our freedom of speech and petition in an attempt to correct this situation in the concern for the well-being of Mrs. Wiggins, her professional record, her students, and Vance County Schools.

After teaching at SVHS for 20+ years, longer than any other staff member, Mrs. Wiggins has put a tremendous amount of love, care, and effort into the Vance County School System and into each and every one of her many students. The decision to suspend her was impetuous and reflects poorly on the Vance County Board of Education. This decision is not only harmful to Mrs. Wiggins, and her record as a teacher, but also to her students. With the AP United States History test only a little over 2 weeks away, her students are missing crucial instructional time that could be the difference between them passing and gaining college credit or failing. Despite the damage done, it can be somewhat mended if acted upon quickly.

We have experienced that Mrs. Wiggins has always treated her students fairly and always goes above and beyond in her teaching and ensures that her students have the opportunities necessary to succeed in her class and their school career. A 5-day suspension was too harsh, especially for a teacher of her stature, experience, and seniority. She is undeserving of this punishment and deserves not only an official reduction of her punishment and to be reinstated immediately, but also an official apology.