Parents are outraged after a popular preschool teacher in St. Louis, Missouri, was fired for leaving a dirty diaper on one of her students.

The incident occurred when Kelly Hahn of the Wilkinson Early Childhood Center discovered that a 3-year-old boy was accidentally sent to school with a pull-up diaper, which is against the school's rules, Fox 2 reports. In response, she immediately notified the child's parents.

However, a staff member discovered that Hahn left the soiled diaper on the child,. The staff member then contacted the Missouri Department of Family Services, and Hahn was terminated for child neglect and endangerment.

Now, parents are rallying around the woman who was placed on administrative leave just 15 days after she won "Teacher of the Year" on Nov. 19, 2014.

"It is mind-blowing, actually. My wife and I are both enraged by the whole situation," said parent T.J. Gilmor, whose two sons have been taught by Hahn, told KMOV. "She is a fabulous teacher. We couldn't speak more highly of her."

PTO President Dana Evans also praised Hahn, saying, "She is one of those people that I would say is the glue that holds Wilkinson together."

Not only are parents upset over the award-winning teacher's termination, but they say their children are also heartbroken. Some parents said their kids came home crying over their favorite teacher's absence, while other kids thought she had cancer.

"It's pretty crazy to think that a pull-up would be considered neglect," parent Nancy Durante said. "She deserves to be in the classroom teaching our children, not fighting for her job."

"I just want what's best for her, what's best for my kids. And what's best for him is having his teacher back. She loves those kids, and there's no substitute for that," parent Sue Gilmor said.

A hearing on the case is scheduled to take place on March 4.

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