A rumor states that an Oklahoma teacher has been fired for praying during the tornado which ravaged the area. Is this true or false?
It’s fake.
The story originated from the satirical website Palookavillepost.com. The fictitious article was posted on May 25, 2013 and read:
Friday a teacher working at an Oklahoma school hit hard by a devastating tornado this week was fired after admitting she had prayed out loud during the horrific event, and that a complaint was filed by an atheist family of a kindergarten student who was offended by the Christian prayer. Paulina Trumble, 52, a twenty three year veteran educator at Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma knew she was in trouble the moment the cyclone passed after realizing she had uttered out loud a prayer to the Almighty, violating strict separation of church and state laws.
“In a moment when I believed we were all going to die I naturally sought comfort from the only place I knew,” said Trumble.
“I know prayer is strictly forbidden in classrooms, and the students know that too, but I’m only human and in the face of such terror I did break the rules. I’m sorry if I offended anyone or violated their civil rights.”
The satire continues with such statements as, “School officials could not be reached for comment because the school was destroyed and they have no available telephones or computers to receive or return a message.”
The story above was likely inspired by real stories of heroism and prayer widely reported after the massive tornado struck. The real story, for example, of teacher Rhonda Crosswhite who prayed during the tornado was heavily covered in the media.
“The whole time I just kept screaming to them, ‘Quit worrying, we’re fine, we’re fine.’ And I’m very loud, so I just hoped they could hear me, because I could hear them screaming. One girl, she’s in my homeroom, was sobbing, and I was like, ‘We’re going to be fine, we’re going to be fine, I’m protecting you.’ And then I said a few prayers. ‘God please take care of my kids.’ And we’re fine.”
Crosswhite was praised for her actions during the ordeal, unlike the fictitious Paulina Trumble.
It also appears that many people commenting on the article didn’t realize it was a work of fiction, only to be criticized by those who did. One commenter wrote:
This satirical website has again proven their point – people will believe anything, no matter how outlandishly untrue, if it reinforces their prejudices. Good job Palookaville! You roped in another raft of unthinking people ready to believe whatever.
For additional proof, a glance at the Briarwood school website does show any teacher named “Paulina Trumble” on staff.
Moore Public Schools Response
A response to this rumor was posted on the Facebook page of Moore Public Schools. Their response read:
Moore Public Schools wishes to confirm that NO teacher was fired from MPS for praying for the safety of their classes and students during the tornado.
Moore Public Schools is saddened that this type of rumor has even been circulated.
Please help us dispel this FALSE rumor as many MPS employees, teachers and administrators were praying before and during the tornado strikes, and will continue to do so throughout the recovery process for both our district and our community.
Thank you.
Bottom Line
This is another case of a satirical story in which the source has been forgotten, and it has been passed off as real.
Sources
- Briarwood Elemetary Staff listing
- Teacher Saves Several Students During Oklahoma Tornado by Lying on Top of Them (People: May 21, 2013)
- Moore Public Schools Facebook Response (May 25, 2013)