School Employee Fired For Correcting Student's Spelling On Twitter

A staff member for Frederick County Public Schools in North Carolina has been fired after a tweet she sent to a student went viral.

Katie Nash, 34, had her employment after she responded to a students tweet asking for schools to be closed amid a snowstorm. "Close school tammarow please," the tweet from the unnamed student read. Nash replied from the official Twitter account for the school district: "But then how would you learn how to spell 'tomorrow'? :)"

The tweet quickly acquired thousands of retweets and likes, but following a four-minute meeting with her employers, Nash was fired.

"Dear Katie, this letter confirms our discussion today that your probation period as a Web Experience Coordinator for Frederick County Public Schools will not be extended," a follow up letter reads. "You will be terminated from your assignment effective January 13, 2017."

Nash told ABC11 that after being hired to manage the district's social media accounts, she was told by students at a focus group that "our tweeting was a bit flat,  they were looking for some more engagement."

She added that students "were looking for us to tweet back at them and I really took that to heart because I know that I am a little bit older and maybe not as hip as some of the students are, so I took that to heart and I took that feedback in."

Nash said that the tweet that got her fired was "an opportunity to respond and do so in a fun lighthearted way."

She says that most students found it funny, but that higher-ups told her to delete the tweet. 

"When they had reached out and when the community overwhelmingly saw it, for what it was just lighthearted banter and trying to engage with the students on their level."

"Out of this entire experience, that something really positive comes out of this because I think the community has sort of been looking at this and various reactions, most positive, but I really am sincere and I hope FCPS thinks how can we use social media to engage going forward."

Nash's tweet was obviously made in jest, and it seemed to go down well with students, so her dismissal seems to be a total overreaction. And if Wendy's has taught us anything, a smart social media strategy is everything.