http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/08/23/2011-08-23_teacher__and_cnn_citizen_reporter__fired_after_after_school_digs_up_past_as_gay_.html

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Teacher - and CNN citizen reporter - fired after after school digs up past as gay porn star
BY Rheana Murray
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, August 23rd 2011, 9:46 PM


Shawn Loftis during an iReport segment he filmed for CNN while near his home in Miami Beach.

One of CNN's most popular citizen reporters was fired from his substitute teaching job after school officials unearthed evidence that he used to be a gay porn star.

They didn't have to dig deep.

Shawn Loftis ditched his porn career in the spring of 2010 to focus on teaching, but he is still widely known by his X-rated alias, Collin O'Neal, the Miami New Times reported.

His hard-core performances won him several awards, and a Wikipedia page lists his porn accolades and some of the videos he's appeared in.

A print-out of the page was included in a memo that a Florida middle school principal sent to Loftis, calling him down to the office like a bad pupil to discuss his non-compliance with the school's code of ethics.

Loftis was suspended from his substitute teaching position in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools in January; his teacher's certification was revoked in April, despite his insistence that his porn days were over.

Loftis' porn shtick was to film in exotic locations around the world and slide sight-seeing and history segments into the dirty flicks. He took a similar travel-focused approach to his citizen-reporting gig with CNN.

Through iReport, the news giant's site for citizen journalists, Loftis posted about stories such as crocodile sightings in Australia and jammed-up security checkpoints at airports.

He told the Miami New Times that CNN was well aware of his porn star status: "They don't mind at all," he said.

Loftis thinks the Miami-Dade County Public School system should have taken the same approach. He filed a complaint about his case with the American Civil Liberties Union, but it failed to get him back into the classroom.

But, on the bright side, at least he had a fall-back option: he's now back to making porn flicks.

Not familiar with this guy but if he was doing his job, so what? Just not seeing the big deal.

He quit his porn job, they shouldn't have fired him and they shouldn't have revoked his license. If they want to make it against to rules to become a teacher after doing porn, then they need to have it written and signed into law. This is lawsuit happy. I would have their asses.

Nystyle709 wrote:

He quit his porn job, they shouldn't have fired him and they shouldn't have revoked his license. If they want to make it against to rules to become a teacher after doing porn, then they need to have it written and signed into law. This is lawsuit happy. I would have their asses.

Yep. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Although I do gotta say that if you aspire to someday work with/teach children....don't do porn. This shit is GOING to come back and on it.

I guess he is trying to turn himself around here, he should be given a fair chance.

Teachers have 'integrity clauses' in their contracts, having a background in porn is probably a violation of it.

Impact wrote:

Teachers have 'integrity clauses' in their contracts, having a background in porn is probably a violation of it.

Exactly! In all these recent reports of teachers being fired, their contracts are not being quoted, so we don't know what they signed and if they are in violation.

If a person does porn, they need to know the downside when they exit the industry.

The Miami-Dade County Public Schools has laid off hundreds of teachers so he is just one of many. My daughter was one of the first to go two years ago and has been out of work since.

So, this guy is lucky to have a fall-back plan (and probably pays more than being a teacher) Shame tho that he was let go because of some moralizing bullshit over what he did in the past when apparently he was aspiring to do more worthy work.

Oh well, Porn is a worthy vocation.

BTW, maybe this guy should get hold of the lawyer of that Florida teach who got suspended for his homophobic comments on Facebook.

http://www.conversationchamber.com/t11170-school-suspends-teacher-after-gay-marriage-facebook-comment#124472

He too was suspended because of "ethics code violations." They are arguing that teacher has a right under the First Amendment to say what he wants while not on the clock. The First Amendment also protects pornography - hence the porn star should be able to be a teacher and also moonlight at his other profession.

I don't think there's much legal precedent to support a lawsuit. Female teachers who have been out of porn much longer than this man haven't gotten their jobs back. And just because this info didn't turn up on a background check isn't a shield either. Maybe it didn't turn up because he gave false information and that is grounds for dismissal.

Alan Smithee wrote:

I don't think there's much legal precedent to support a lawsuit. Female teachers who have been out of porn much longer than this man haven't gotten their jobs back. And just because this info didn't turn up on a background check isn't a shield either. Maybe it didn't turn up because he gave false information and that is grounds for dismissal.

. That's what a background check is. To turn up any information that the candidate may have lied about. You're not supposed to lie, but omitting information isn't illegal, esp when it has nothing to do with your job. They fired him for no reason other than what he did in his past career. Last I checked, porn isn't illegal. And if they didn't ask him, he didn't have to volunteer the information...and rightfully so. Porn has a stigma attached to it.

I'm sure if he goes for a lawsuit, he'll try and say it's because he was a gay porn star, not just a porn star and try and come at if from that side.

I'm with Red and Impact. There are integrity clauses with teaching, just like there are with being a cop or a doctor. I'd be very uncomfortable knowing that my kid was in a class where the teacher had left the porn industry only the year before. In this day and age, with technology so advanced, it wouldn't be hard for some of the students to discover his past career. He obviously didn't disclose his previous job experience when applying for the job, or they'd never have hired him.

The guy sat down with Dr. Drew about the situation.

UPDATE:

Education commission allows ex-porn star to teach

Florida teacher says he wants to help young people
Published On: Mar 09 2012 02:

ORLANDO, Fla. -
An education commission in Orlando has ruled that a South Florida educator can continue to teach, despite his past as an adult film star.

Miami-Dade teacher Shawn Loftis had 10 minutes to make his case to the Florida Education Practices Commision at a Hampton Inn in Orlando. He was teaching as a substitute teacher at numerous Miami-area schools when the school district began its investigation in January 2012.

"One day I get a phone call from Miami-Dade County Public Schools telling me not to go into work the next day because I was found out to be involved in the adult entertainment business," Loftis told WFOR-TV.

Loftis told the TV station that he planned to use his experiences from the porn industry to help keep young people on the right path.

Administrators at one of the schools where Loftis taught discovered he had been in the porn industry. Under the alias Collin O'Neal, Loftis was a film star, shooting movies in Miami Beach. After a few years in front of the camera, Loftis started his own adult film company.

The commission said Loftis can now apply to be a full-time teacher, but he will he on probation for two years.

Thanks for the update Shale. That is surprising.