911 operators
Mayukh Saha
Mayukh Saha
November 15, 2022 ·  3 min read

That Time a Child called 911 for Help with Math Homework

Math homework can be quite difficult if you are a child. And this traverses geographical boundaries- whether one is a student in the USA or a student in India. In 2019, a child dealing with math homework accidentally called 911 because he thought they would help him out. And they did help him solve his problem. The police dispatcher from Indiana later recounted the tale and stated that she was quite surprised by the call. After all, the call is mostly used for emergencies. [1]

The dispatcher, Antonia Bundy, didn’t disconnect the call. Rather, she actually talked the kid through his problem- despite it not being her job. But she could very well relate to the jitters that the kid had- with her being a kid herself a few years back. Yet- one has to agree that a dispatcher receiving a call from an anonymous kid wanting help with his homework ought to be surprising- if nothing else. 

The math homework that the kid had was to find the solution to ¾+¼. Bundy showed him the tricks to solve the problem, and the kid was a happy camper thereafter. Speaking to ABC News later, Bundy mentioned, “I tried to help as best as I could. I could tell at the beginning of the call that he was a little stressed about his day. I think by the end of the call, just me taking that time to help him, really improved his day.

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Lafayette Police dispatcher Antonia Bundy. Image Credits: ABC News

Police Dispatcher Helps Kid With Math Homework

Goes without saying, the Lafayette Police Precinct also lauded her for her initiative. In a tweet, the Police department wrote, “Our dispatchers never know what the next call might be. They train for many emergency situations, homework help is not one they plan for. We don’t recommend 911 for homework help but this dispatcher helped a young boy out and brighten his day.

Interestingly, this isn’t the only time that 911 was used for math homework. Another recorded call to the police dispatch was uploaded on TikTok which saw the kid asking the dispatcher for help with their homework. After the dispatch introduced themselves, the kid responded, “I need some help”. To this, the dispatcher asked, “What’s the matter?” The child then stated, “With my math. I have to do it. I have takeaways.” While the child and the dispatcher solved the math problem, the kid’s caretaker’s voice could be heard, “Joni, what are you doing?” The little girl responded with, “The policeman’s helping me with my math. You said if I need help to call somebody!” [2]

It should be pretty evident that although dispatchers have a very heavy-duty job on their hands, a few moments of light humor can ease them up. Bundy, the dispatcher from Lafayette who helped the kid with his math homework, further mentioned, “Him just needing help with that math problem was his emergency at that time. I always loved math in school so the fact that he called in, and I was able to assist him in a problem that I had myself when I was in fifth grade, just took me back down memory lane.

Keep Reading: 25 Parenting Tweets That Made us Literally LOL

Sources

  1. Child calls 911 for help with math homework: ‘I’m sorry for calling you but I really needed help’.” ABC News. Enjoli Francis and Eric Noll. January 29, 2019.
  2. A Child Called 911 To Get Help With Their Math Homework.” Romper Morgan Brinlee. June 29, 2021.