Associated Press
A Southern California junior high school teacher whose school board voted to fire her when video surfaced of her performing in a pornographic video planned to fight her dismissal, her attorney said Friday.Stacie Halas, 32, who teaches science to seventh and eighth graders at Richard B. Haydock Intermediate School, was put on paid administrative leave after the video shot before she was a teacher appeared last month. On Wednesday night Oxnard School District trustees voted unanimously in a closed session to dismiss her.
Halas, who on Friday had yet to be served with dismissal papers, has 30 days to appeal the decision by requesting a hearing with an administrative law judge, and her lawyer said she will.
"We disagree with the decision by the board to dismiss or seek the dismissal of Miss Halas," attorney Richard Schwab told the Ventura County Star (http://bit.ly/HOPt0k). "It is our intention at this time to vigorously contest the charges."
Schwab said the video was shot in 2009 before Halas was a teacher, and she broke no laws in making it.
"The type of conduct she was engaged in was lawful conduct in a business which, while others may disagree with its content, is very vibrant in both Los Angeles as well as the state of California," Schwab said.
Student claims that the teacher was moonlighting as a porn star were initially dismissed after school officials said they couldn't find any images of her on the Internet.
The investigation was quickly restarted, however, when other teachers showed administrators downloads from smartphones in early March.
Superintendent Jeff Chancer said the video was "hardcore pornography."
School board President Veronica Robles-Solis told the Star on Friday that trustees had no choice but to vote for the dismissal.
We must do what's right for students, staff and parents by maintaining the focus on education," she said.
Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/fired-ca-teacher-who-appeared-in-porn-plans-appeal/article_52224149-9ce0-51a7-9966-ac54f021adcc.html#ixzz1spAfBvOZ
Oxnard junior high teacher to fight dismissal over porn allegations
By Cheri Carlson
- vcstar.com
Halas, who on Friday had yet to be served with dismissal papers, has 30 days to appeal the decision by requesting a hearing with an administrative law judge, and her lawyer said she will.
"We disagree with the decision by the board to dismiss or seek the dismissal of Miss Halas," attorney Richard Schwab told the Ventura County Star (http://bit.ly/HOPt0k). "It is our intention at this time to vigorously contest the charges."
Schwab said the video was shot in 2009 before Halas was a teacher, and she broke no laws in making it.
"The type of conduct she was engaged in was lawful conduct in a business which, while others may disagree with its content, is very vibrant in both Los Angeles as well as the state of California," Schwab said.
Student claims that the teacher was moonlighting as a porn star were initially dismissed after school officials said they couldn't find any images of her on the Internet.
The investigation was quickly restarted, however, when other teachers showed administrators downloads from smartphones in early March.
Superintendent Jeff Chancer said the video was "hardcore pornography."
School board President Veronica Robles-Solis told the Star on Friday that trustees had no choice but to vote for the dismissal.
We must do what's right for students, staff and parents by maintaining the focus on education," she said.
Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/fired-ca-teacher-who-appeared-in-porn-plans-appeal/article_52224149-9ce0-51a7-9966-ac54f021adcc.html#ixzz1spAfBvOZ
Oxnard junior high teacher to fight dismissal over porn allegations
An Oxnard junior high teacher accused of acting in a pornographic video will fight the school board that's seeking her dismissal, her attorney said Friday.
"We disagree with the decision by the board to dismiss or seek the dismissal of Miss Halas. It is our intention at this time to vigorously contest the charges," attorney Richard Schwab said Friday.
Halas, who has yet to be served with dismissal charges, will have 30 days to contest the decision and seek an administrative hearing. Her attorney plans to do so.
The allegations involve conduct before she became a teacher, Schwab said.
"The type of conduct she engaged in was lawful conduct in a business which, while others may disagree with its content, is very vibrant in both Los Angeles as well as the state of California," he said.
School board President Veronica Robles-Solis said Friday that she and other officials have to focus on the best interests of the district.
"We must do what's right for students, staff and parents by maintaining the focus on education," she said.
The allegations came to the attention of school administrators on March 2.
Some students had spread a rumor that one of the teachers was a porn star, district officials said. Haydock administrators investigated but initially didn't find any evidence that the rumors were true. They sent an email to staff members saying the rumors were unfounded.
Later, however, a few teachers reported to school officials that they thought the rumors might be true, based on information they had found online.
Halas, a teacher in Oxnard since 2009, was put on leave and an investigation started. Superintendent Jeff Chancer sent a letter to parents at the district's three junior high schools, informing them about the incident and cautioning that students might try to access inappropriate websites outside of school. School computers have filters that block access.
Schwab said Friday that the situation has been traumatic for Halas.
"However, she is up for the task for defending not only her interest, but also other young individuals who may have ... found they had been exploited or taken advantage of, and were able to rise above it and make a change," he said.
"It's certainly laudable on her part that she was able to get out ... and go into a profession," he said. "Unless the lesson is that if you make a mistake, then it's irreparable."
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/apr/20/oxnard-junior-high-teacher-to-fight-dismissal/#ixzz1spB8sers Stacie Halas, 32, a science teacher at Haydock Intermediate School, was placed on paid leave early last month after the allegations surfaced. The video, available on adult websites, was made before she was hired, officials said.
This week, the Oxnard School District board voted to fire Halas, saying her presence in the classroom would cause a significant disruption to the schools and student learning."We disagree with the decision by the board to dismiss or seek the dismissal of Miss Halas. It is our intention at this time to vigorously contest the charges," attorney Richard Schwab said Friday.
Halas, who has yet to be served with dismissal charges, will have 30 days to contest the decision and seek an administrative hearing. Her attorney plans to do so.
The allegations involve conduct before she became a teacher, Schwab said.
"The type of conduct she engaged in was lawful conduct in a business which, while others may disagree with its content, is very vibrant in both Los Angeles as well as the state of California," he said.
School board President Veronica Robles-Solis said Friday that she and other officials have to focus on the best interests of the district.
"We must do what's right for students, staff and parents by maintaining the focus on education," she said.
The allegations came to the attention of school administrators on March 2.
Some students had spread a rumor that one of the teachers was a porn star, district officials said. Haydock administrators investigated but initially didn't find any evidence that the rumors were true. They sent an email to staff members saying the rumors were unfounded.
Later, however, a few teachers reported to school officials that they thought the rumors might be true, based on information they had found online.
Halas, a teacher in Oxnard since 2009, was put on leave and an investigation started. Superintendent Jeff Chancer sent a letter to parents at the district's three junior high schools, informing them about the incident and cautioning that students might try to access inappropriate websites outside of school. School computers have filters that block access.
Schwab said Friday that the situation has been traumatic for Halas.
"However, she is up for the task for defending not only her interest, but also other young individuals who may have ... found they had been exploited or taken advantage of, and were able to rise above it and make a change," he said.
"It's certainly laudable on her part that she was able to get out ... and go into a profession," he said. "Unless the lesson is that if you make a mistake, then it's irreparable."
- vcstar.com
