Florida teacher Ashley Barker's story had all the makings of a cinematic tearjerker. She and her father suffered from an illness that would eventually take both of their lives and, as a result, she had to take as much time away from work as possible to tend to her family's needs.

The problem? The story was all a ruse. In fact, Barker was not at the hospital or doctor's office. She was completely healthy and living it up at home.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the first grade teacher sent the principal of Laurel Elementary School 120 letters over the course of the year. The district refused to disclose the exact number of days Barker missed class with her bogus illness, but did confirm that Barker admitted to being home the entire time she was supposed to be sick. The district's investigation found that neither Barker nor her father, was sick

For nearly a year school officials believed Barker's story, allowing her to go home early and even making special accommodations for her time off work. Parents of students at the school expressed that concern when they heard of Barker's shenanigans.

"Wow. That's kind of scary. Because if she lies about that, she can lie about anything," said one parent.

As of right now, there is no indication as to why Barker came up with the enormous fabrication, other than to get extra time off. She was fired and has decided to contest the termination in a formal hearing. The details of her ruse will likely come to light then.