Can I lose my job?

[Amy_]

I have a qestion concerning gossip in the school I work at. I have been there 5 years and my job performance is excellent. I am to go into a meeting on Monday am. Where the Assistants Principal is going to accuse me of gossiping about a co-worker. Petty things like I made fin of her clothes. And she was stealing cable and got caught she blames me. She has given my name and phone number to .places she has written checks and possibly the cable. And then she does not pay the checks they call me at home and at work. But I am the one getting called on the carper in front of other workers. Everyone in the department is talking about this and since I am a 55 year old my feeling is that they beleive her and will fire me because of it. This is harrasment I feel. I had a incident with her friend in the past who said I wrote a letter to her husband about an affair. I did not but my name was signed. I think it was the girl I am havinf the problem with now. PLEASE

 

[mike]

I have a qestion concerning gossip in the school I work at. I have been there 5 years and my job performance is excellent. I am to go into a meeting on Monday am. Where the Assistants Principal is going to accuse me of gossiping about a co-worker. Petty things like I made fin of her clothes. And she was stealing cable and got caught she blames me. She has given my name and phone number to .places she has written checks and possibly the cable. And then she does not pay the checks they call me at home and at work. But I am the one getting called on the carper in front of other workers. Everyone in the department is talking about this and since I am a 55 year old my feeling is that they beleive her and will fire me because of it. This is harrasment I feel. I had a incident with her friend in the past who said I wrote a letter to her husband about an affair. I did not but my name was signed. I think it was the girl I am havinf the problem with now. PLEASE

It's difficult to understand the problems and your relationship with this person and the cable. The school may have procedures in place (is it public?) for hiring and firing for cause. You should check them out and look at your employment contract too. If you do get fired, it is possible that your cause of action might be against this person for defamation and not against the school. Those cases are not easy and are expensive to bring. I hope that everything works out since these issues seem to be rather petty and shouldn't affect long time employees with a good record.