Local school teacher quits after student discovers her x-rated past

KMOV.com

Posted on March 7, 2011 at 10:12 PM

Updated today at 7:41 AM

(KMOV) – A west St. Louis County high school teacher quit her job after her x-rated past was exposed when one of her Parkway North students discovered her pornographic work in the adult film industry.

The teacher, Tera Myers, was suspended five years ago when she was a teacher in Paducah, Kentucky.

Parkway North says it never knew about the science teacher’s past until a student discovered it on the Internet on Friday. That raised a red flag, and district officials are now left wondering if background and reference checks are enough.
The porn-star-turned-teacher tied to shed what she calls her worst mistake – one she made more than 15 years ago. This past continues to haunt her today.

“Either way, someone's gonna find out one day, and that's just like a bad look on you when you're a school teacher,” says student Sarah Mennicucci.

In 2006, teachers and parents stood by her when she was suspended from her teaching job in Paducah, Kentucky. Her contract was not renewed.

The superintendent there feared Myers’ past would be a distraction in the classroom.

Myers even shared her story on Dr. Phil, and found work at Parkway North High School the following school year.

What Myers did was not illegal, so it did not show up on a background check. District officials say none of her references disclosed her past.

Myers will be paid through the end of the school year. She will not be returning in the fall.

(source: kmov.com, St. Louis)