One of the teachers who came under fire in February for performing a graphic lap dance at a Winnipeg school pep rally has resigned.
The Winnipeg School Division board of trustees accepted Chrystie Fitchner's resignation at an in camera meeting Monday night.
The contract of the other teacher involved, Adeil Ahmed, has run its course and will not be up for renewal, board chair Jackie Sneesby said Monday night. Mr. Ahmed's contract with Churchill High School expired on April 16.
The school division updated trustees on the internal investigation into the case of the two popular teachers, who were suspended after their dance became a YouTube hit.
"I'm just glad that it's ended for everybody," Ms. Sneesby said. "We think it was a good decision to make."
School board policies won't change as a result of this incident, she said, but teachers might take care to pay attention to the professional code of conduct.
"I think most people know how to behave, and when we hire people they're expected to behave in a responsible way," Ms. Sneesby said.
The teachers, whose graphic routine was videotaped and passed around by students, were first suspended with pay, then suspended without pay.
Ms. Fitchner, a gym teacher at the school, asked for access to sick leave benefits. She then filed grievances with the division for not providing access to sick leave. The grievances, also filed with the Winnipeg Teachers' Association, were resolved on the basis that she remain without pay until April 5, after which time she would get sick leave benefits under the collective agreement.
The fully attended meeting at the Winnipeg School Division offices started at 5 p.m. and lasted until about 7 p.m. It was the first time the concerned elected representatives had been formally briefed by the school division, said trustee Mike Babinsky.
"It's unfortunate that this situation happened," he said. "A minute and a half of inappropriate dancing decided the fate of a big career change."
He says his constituents had been torn about what the fate of the teachers should be - some believed it to be nothing worse than what their teens see on television; others felt teachers should be held to a higher standard as role models and that their behaviour was in poor taste.
The drawn-out process - it's been two months since the video made headlines - has become a headache for many in the school community. Some parents called for the teachers to be fired.
The offending dance, which involved simulations of oral sex and much gyrating of pelvises, took place at the pep rally on Feb. 17. Students recorded it on a cellphone camera and it quickly spread via e-mail and Facebook. The next day, a parent complained to the school. The day after that, the teachers were asked to stay home with pay.
The human resource director was away the next week for a family emergency, Mr. Babinsky said. When he returned on March 1, the male teacher was called into the director's office and told he would continue his suspension without pay. The female teacher got the same instructions the next day.
Trustees haven't been given any further information in case the teachers appeal any recommendation, a move that would lead to a hearing before the board with a jury of trustees.
"They purposely want us to be left out of the loop so we're not biased in any way," he said.