OXNARD, Calif. — The appeal hearing for Stacie Halas, the Haydock Intermediate School teacher fired for her past as porn star Tiffany Six, came to an end on Thursday.
Her future as a teacher will be decided within the next 30 days by a three-woman panel made up of Administrative Law Judge Julie Cabos-Owen, Hueneme School District Principal Cara Comstock and Fullerton High School science teacher Karen Rapien.
Halas was fired on April 18 by the Oxnard School District for having starred in a series of pornographic films that were discovered by students at Haydock Intermediate School, where she taught eighth grade science.
Halas argued that the movies were produced prior to her career as an educator (during an eight-month period between the years 2005 and 2006), but the board decided that her exposure as an adult performer would only continue to disrupt the school's learning environment.
Halas, who starred under the alias Tiffany Six in 22 adult productions, including Jules Jordan Video's "No Cum Dodging Allowed," in which she performs oral sex and double penetrations with up to four men, filed an appeal with the Office of Administrative Hearing and was put on paid leave.
Halas' dismissal hearing began on Oct. 22 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. The 32-year-old Camarillo resident testified that she regretted her short-lived porn career, describing it as a sickening act of desperation.
VCStar.com reports that Oxnard School District attorney Nitasha Sawhney said during Thursday's closing arguments that, "Being a teacher comes with great responsibility. They are exemplars. Teachers are trusted with much more than the curriculum. In this case, Ms. Halas has failed the district's standard and the legal standard as exemplar and role model.
"We believe that you will ultimately agree with the district that Ms. Halas became a pornographic star knowing this was completely incompatible with being a teacher but that it was fun, that it was exciting and that it was something she wasn't supposed to do and did it anyway."
Halas' lawyer Richard Schwab countered by noting that, "She went from the abyss of the adult industry... and she has escaped. She's one of the lucky ones. This is not evidently unfit (to teach); this is finding a new life. This is what you call positive.
"Metaphorically, we are holding stones at this time," Schwab continued. "We today have that decision to make. Do we throw that stone?
Photo: Juan Carlo, Ventura Star
