"This just breaks my heart," Bowden told the Idaho Statesman. "I was in the wrong, but what do you do when the kid tells you that they're hungry, and they don't have any money? I handed her the tray."

"We didn't take a meal away from a child," Howell told the Idaho Statesman.

A photo with a letter to Bowden posted Dec. 19 indicates that the district fired her.

She started a GoFundMe to "fight back."

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Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (Cristiano Barbosa/AP)

Credit: AP