A San Diego-area school district superintendent was fired this week, nearly a year after students alleged she threatened to ban them from graduation ceremonies after they inadequately applauded her daughter at a banquet.

The board that oversees the roughly 35,000-student Poway Unified School District voted unanimously to dismiss Marian Kim Phelps during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.

In a statement read by President Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff, the board said it “has lost all confidence and trust in Dr. Phelps’ ability to continue to serve as superintendent.”

Players, coaches and parents allege that Phelps bullied and harassed members of the softball team at Del Norte High School, a Poway Unified campus in San Diego, during an after-season team banquet on May 30, 2023. Phelps, players alleged, was upset that her daughter, who was named team MVP that evening, did not receive applause from her teammates Phelps deemed adequate.

The perceived slight, players alleged, prompted Phelps to launch an investigation — and threaten to bar seniors from participating in their graduation ceremonies.

  • @Nurse_Robot
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    788 months ago

    She didn’t “investigate”, she threatened children.

    • @APassenger
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      368 months ago

      She used an “investigation” in an effort to make the threat actionable, though. She wasn’t done after the threats.

  • @Son_of_dad
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    468 months ago

    The fact that the team didn’t applaud for his daughter when she won mvp, tells me his daughter likely didn’t earn it and was given mvp due to nepotism

    • @candybrie
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      428 months ago

      It doesn’t even say they didn’t applaud, just that it wasn’t enough applause. It could have been a totally reasonable amount of clapping and this lady was mad there wasn’t a standing ovation.

    • @ripcord
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      -38 months ago

      You didn’t read more than the headline, I see.

  • @Fredselfish
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    318 months ago

    She probably fits right in with today fascist.

    • Flying Squid
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      228 months ago

      Today’s fascist? School officials were fascists back when I was a kid.

  • @pikmeir
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    308 months ago

    “Please clap.”

    • @Phegan
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      138 months ago

      This does a disservice to how dangerous a second trump term actually would be.

    • @[email protected]
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      348 months ago

      This is why there is never enough money for teachers regardless of how many tax increases we vote for. It all gets hoovered up by administrators and 3rd party vendors.

      • shastaxc
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        -198 months ago

        This isn’t the reason why. Out of hundreds of teachers in a school district, $400k split among them is not going to make a meaningful difference.

  • @[email protected]
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    168 months ago

    Seems like it could’ve been a good learning experience for her daughter.

    Most people in this generation are petty shitbags who should not be taken seriously.

    Leave’em in the dust!

    • fmstrat
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      18 months ago

      I can only imagine the daughter was a victim in this as well.

  • @[email protected]
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    58 months ago

    They are banning the book 1984 which covers this very subject, and SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING!!!

    • AmidFuror
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      48 months ago

      Poway Unified School District is banning 1984? Please link an article because I could not find any.

    • @[email protected]
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      -338 months ago

      1984 is horrendously overrated and I think less of anyone who thinks highly of it.

      It’s a love story at best.