Teacher doing $2K-per-night ‘escorting job’ faces layoff due to misconduct after anonymous letter exposes her secret profession.
Ms. Samantha Barguss, the teacher in question, is now 30 years old.
She has been banned from teaching for at least five years due to a misconduct panel’s findings.
The panel concluded that her secret life as an escort could potentially influence students to consider prostitution as a viable option.
An anonymous letter exposes teacher’s secret job
The controversy began in 2022 when a tip-off alerted school authorities to Ms. Barguss’s double life.
She was confronted by the school administration about her profile on an escorting website.
Initially, she firmly denied all allegations when approached in 2023.
However, she admitted to some of the claims the following day and subsequently resigned from her teaching position.
Teacher’s social profiles display explicit photos and videos
During the virtual hearing conducted by the Teaching Regulation Agency, Terry Hyde, the panel’s chairperson, revealed that explicit photographs and videos were present on Ms. Barguss’s profile.
The images, which showed her engaging in sexual activities, were found in both the “movies” and “gallery” sections of the profile.
Furthermore, the panel noted that the gallery section contained multiple images of Ms. Barguss from various angles, wearing revealing clothing.
The teacher blams COVID-19 pandemic for her actions
Ms. Barguss attributed her actions to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures on her personal life and relationships.
She confessed that she and her partner created the profile to meet like-minded individuals.
She chose not to use regular dating sites that require displaying facial pictures.
However, the panel disputed her claim, pointing out that some photographs and still images clearly showed her face.
The teacher listed prices for sexual activities
In addition to the explicit content on her profile, Ms. Barguss also listed her prices for different services.
The list included $156 for half an hour, $285 for an hour, and $2,000 for an overnight encounter.
However, she later stated that she did not earn any money from these activities.
The profile emphasized her popularity and eagerness to satisfy clients, stating that her primary goal was to gratify them in every possible way.
“I am exceptionally popular and always eager to add to my impressive, ever-growing, base of regular clients.
I love my job and I desire nothing more than to gratify you in every way possible,” she wrote.
The panel is concerned that students may follow the teacher’s actions
The panel expressed concerns about the potential impact of students discovering Ms. Barguss’s profile and viewing their teacher in such a context.
They believed that this exposure could lead students to believe that posting explicit images is a means to make money.
They considered this a dangerous perception.
“The panel considered it possible that pupils might find this profile
“Viewing their teacher this way could lead pupils to think posting such images is a way to make money
“The panel considered that this was a potentially dangerous perception.”
Ms. Barguss eventually admitted to two allegations.
She admitted displaying inappropriate images and/or videos of herself on the internet and offering sexual services through messages and/or images online.
As a result, she has been prohibited from teaching for a minimum of five years.