Stacie Halas, Porn-Star Teacher, May be Emboldened by Case of Former Adult Performer Shawn Loftis
Those of you who have been following the saga of teacher turned alleged porn star Stacie Halas, and we know you have, might take heart in the story of another adult video actor turned educator, Shawn Loftis.
Stacie.
You see, Halas' job as a middle school teacher in Oxnard is on the line after she was apparently discovered "performing" on tape. (She was put on paid leave last week while administrators "investigate").
Loftis today might have helped to set a precedent that could influence her situation:
He is a Miami-Dade public school substitute who had a past as a gay porn performer.
Loftis was fired after his former profession was discovered.
Now the Florida Education Commission says he can keep teaching.
Loftis.
Not only that, but Loftis can apply to become a fulltime teacher. Before the decision officials said he couldn't teach for at least five years.
Justice?
We caught the 36-year-old on the phone today. He was psyched:
I'm proud of my state. I was really shocked that the state of Florida was going to do this. I'm happy.
Loftis notes that by the time an administrator discovered he had done porn, it was in his past:
This is my past and I left it behind. I can use my experiences in life to teach kids. The key point is that they said when you go back to the classroom and a student brings this up to you, you will be able to handle that. I thought that was highly progressive of them.
Unlike California, Florida does have a moral terpitude rule for teachers who can be fired if they're found to be involved in immoral activity.
However, Loftis noted that during his state hearing in Orlando, most of the cases involved teachers accused of felony crimes such as drug use and theft.
"There's no debating whether you were convicted of using drugs or stole something,
but there is debate on whether my past was illegal," he says. "It was not."
Is there hope for Stacie Halas?
"As a society, you know, porn is not illegal," Loftis says.
[Added: You can see Halas' NSFW video here].
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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