A Missouri high school teacher says she has been placed on leave after officials discovered that she was performing on a pornography website to supplement her salary.
Brianna Coppage, 28, who taught English at St. Clair High School, says her teaching days are probably over, but she acknowledged she knew the risks.
Coppage told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she was put on leave on Wednesday after being interviewed by two administrators. Her access to school email and other software was suspended while the district investigates, she said.
“It was kind of always like this cloud hanging over my head, like I never knew when I would be discovered,” Coppage said in an interview. “Then, about two weeks ago, my husband and I were told that people were finding out about it. So I knew this day was coming.”
Superintendent Kyle Kruse said in a statement that the district was “recently notified that an employee may have posted inappropriate media on one or more internet sites.”
“The district has engaged legal counsel to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this matter,” Kruse wrote. “Actions taken as a result of the investigation will be in accordance with board policy and with guidance from legal counsel.”
St. Clair is about 55 miles southwest of St. Louis. The high school has about 750 students.
Coppage said she joined the OnlyFans website over the summer to supplement her salary as a second-year teacher. She taught English to freshmen and sophomores and made about $42,000 last year, according to the newspaper’s public pay database. She said she’s earned an additional $8,000 to $10,000 per month performing on OnlyFans.
“I believe that teachers are wildly underpaid everywhere, and Missouri has some of the lowest pay in the United States,” Coppage told The Missourian on Friday. “I absolutely do have to supplement my income.”
Coppage said she chose the site because its content is available only to subscribers and she thought it would help protect her identity. She said she didn’t know how the district learned of her account. She insisted no content was filmed or posted while she was on school grounds.
“I’m very aware that I am probably never going to teach again, but that was kind of the risk I knew I was taking. I am sad about that. I do miss my students,” she said.
But Coppage said her account has gained about 100 new subscribers since word began to surface. She has more than doubled her subscription price and plans to continue posting on the site.
“I do not regret joining OnlyFans. I know it can be taboo, or some people may believe that it is shameful, but I don’t think sex work has to be shameful,” Coppage said. “I do just wish things just happened in a different way.”
She also told The Missourian that she’s been surprised by the support she’s received from members of the St. Clair community on Facebook.
“Surprisingly, a lot of parents were supporting me,” Coppage told The Missourian. “A lot of community members were saying, ‘Leave her alone, this is her private business. It has nothing to do with her in the classroom.’ ”
An online petition supporting Coppage had received over 240 signatures as of Monday.
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