Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for May 4, 2006 KENTUCKY "ADULT MOVIE" TEACHER

Reidland teacher tells her story...and gains support.

From the Paducah Sun...

Suspended teacher loses job, attracts supporters after adult movie is publicized.

By Matt Sanders msanders@paducahsun.com

I've always tried to look ahead and not to focus on it. - Tericka Dye

We've all done things that we regret, except hers is on tape. - Bonnie Chilcoat

Tericka Dye was the victim of child abuse, and 11 years ago, at the age of 23, she was homeless and had no income.

Then she slowly started turning her life around, enlisting as a military police officer in the U.S. Army and earning an undergraduate college degree through the G.I. Bill. Now, she is studying for a master's degree in physics education and became a teacher who expects the best from her students.

For the last two years, Dye taught science and coached volleyball at Reidland High School. But last week, it became known that she was in an adult movie 11 years ago in Los Angeles, long before she became a teacher.

With the tape circulating among students and their parents, McCracken County Schools Superintendent Tim Heller informed Dye by letter dated a week ago that she would not be allowed to teach in the district next year. She was also suspended with pay for the rest of the school year.

Heller issued her another letter on Wednesday explaining his reasons for her removal.

"Your presence in the classroom would cause a disruption to the educational process," he says in the letter. "I fear there would be less than a serious approach to schooling by the students who viewed the video or know about it. This could cause classroom management problems for both you and the administration at Reidland High School."

Heller also banned Dye "from any property owned or under the control of the Board of Education for McCracken County, Kentucky" through the end of the school year. She may then return to pick up any personal items.

Mark Blankenship, a Murray attorney hired by the Kentucky Education Association to represent Dye, said he is looking into challenging the school district's decision not to renew Dye's contract.

She and Blankenship called a press conference on Wednesday.

"This is very distressing. Actually, it's heartbreaking because this happened so long ago," Dye told a group of supporters, including parents and students, near the high school. "Since there has been so much in the press about this, I wanted to get my story out."

Dye said she suffers from bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, but it was not diagnosed until 1999, after she left the Army. For most bipolar disorder sufferers, life imitates a roller coaster: intense highs full of energy and crippling lows of depression. There is no cure, but with medication, sufferers can live normal lives.

With an untreated illness and without a home or income, Dye said she felt her options were limited when she decided to be in the adult movie.

"I absolutely 100 percent regret doing that. I've always tried to look ahead and not to focus on it. But I wasn't diagnosed at the time," Dye said.

She spent one day filming in Los Angeles and did not use her real name.

Dye then chose the military as a means to turn around her life, and served in the military police unit at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Bonnie Chilcoat of Reidland attended the impromptu rally Wednesday to support Dye, and took her daughter, Nicole Genel, out of school temporarily to attend. Genel, a member of the volleyball team, is a junior at Reidland and is in Dye's science class.

"(Dye's) a strong moral person right now. She's not the person she was 10 years ago. She's a great teacher, she's done a great job with these kids and there's never been anything inappropriate with the kids," Chilcoat said. "What happened in the past should stay in the past. I don't know all of her circumstances, but if others were in her shoes, who can say what we would have done? We've all done things that we regret, except hers is on tape."

Chilcoat is acquainted with Dye only as her daughter's teacher and coach, but has seen positive impressions through her daughter.

"She's a strict teacher and a strict coach. She taught discipline. In the beginning, I think a lot of the kids didn't like her much because of that, but by pushing them to the limits, they grew to respect her. Now, all the girls are upset they're losing a good coach," Chilcoat said. "She pushed my daughter to be her best. She doesn't want anyone sitting around and doing nothing."

Dye said that she has tried to be the teacher that she wished she had as a student.

"I can only imagine where I would have ended up. I push the students the same way I've pushed myself," Dye said.

While in the Army, Dye married a Massac County, Ill., native and they moved back to the area after finishing their enlistments. They have since divorced.

In 1999, Dye was attending classes at then-Paducah Community College and also worked as a substitute teacher. From the first day as a substitute, she was moved by helping a group of seventh-graders. She knew then she wanted to be a teacher.

Genel said that Dye is her favorite teacher, someone who always puts her students first.

"She'll put in extra time and tutor anyone who asks for help," Genel said. "And she turned around the volleyball team, but always reminds us that our grades come before sports.

"I think it's crappy what's been done to her because it was so long ago," Genel said. "She's turned her life around, and that makes her a good teacher. She helps students every day."

Dye's dismissal has left her very hurt, and she has cried over losing the job she loves. Dye would not say much about her future, other than she wants to continue teaching, possibly at the collegiate level. She has completed about one-third of the courses toward a master's degree in physics education from the University of Virginia, and planned to resume her studies this summer.

"I was overwhelmed by the show of support," Dye said. "There are so many people in this community who are forgiving."

For Chilcoat, she remained upset by the dismissal.

"It's hard to believe that people can be so negative," Chilcoat said. "It's not right to judge people. Only God can judge us."

From the WPSD TV Channel 6 website...

KY: Suspended Reidland Teacher Speaks Out

Anna Prendergast,
WPSD NewsChannel 6

School officials ruled the Reidland High School teacher who made a pornographic movie will be suspended for the rest of the school year.

The teacher, Tericka Dye, and her attorney held a news conference this afternoon. Dye says she regrets making the movie, but doesn't think her past should affect her future. Dye says she plans to stay in Reidland and hopes to teach again.

Her lawyer, Mark Blankenship, says they don't have any legal options because Dye wasn't fired. Dye's contract was not renewed so if she wants to teach at Reidland again she will have to reapply this summer.

Dye wasn't alone at Wednesday's news conference. Behind her stood 30 students and parents. The group has started a petition trying to get the former teacher's job back.

School officials say the decision not to renew Dye's contract is in the best interest of the kids.