“When I rang him up, the student didn’t have any money on their account,” Kimball told Valley News. “So, I have a district manager here. My boss has told me, ‘Don’t cause any scenes with the contract,’ and I quietly said, 'Tell [your] mom you need money.’”
The student told Kimball that he would, and he paid his outstanding bill the next day. However, that same day, Kimball was notified of her termination.
Two of Kimball’s coworkers quit in protest of her firing, a community member wrote an impassioned letter to the editor outlining what all the “kitchen ladies” have done for the students for a “modest wage and without fringe benefits — no health insurance, no paid vacations or time off when sick,” and many responded to the news with outrage on social media.