Teacher's sex ad on Craigslist grounds for firing

[n2doc]

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, May 6, 2011

(05-05) 14:35 PDT SAN DIEGO -- A state appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a San Diego schoolteacher who was fired for posting a sexually explicit ad and photos in the "men seeking men" section of Craigslist.

Frank Lampedusa's firing had been overruled by a state commission that said the ad was unrelated to his ability to teach middle-school students. But the appeals court disagreed, saying Lampedusa's conduct showed he was unfit to teach and "serve as a role model" for his students.

A teacher's private life can constitute grounds for dismissal if it demonstrates "indecency and moral indifference," said the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego. The court issued the 3-0 ruling last month and published it Tuesday as a statewide precedent for future cases.

Lampedusa, 47, has worked for the San Diego district since 1999 and at Farb Middle School since 2004, where he has also handled disciplinary cases as the school's dean of students. He has continued to teach while the district appealed his case.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/05/BAD61JC06S.DTL