Teacher banned after anonymous letter exposed her as $2,067 escort
The letter included screenshots from a website where the teacher had listed her prices
An elementary school teacher has been banned from teaching indefinitely after her work as an escort was exposed through an anonymous letter.
Samantha Barguss, 30, was working at the elementary school in Birmingham, UK when the news about her second job came to light.
It was 2022 when the school received a letter which claimed Barguss was 'openly working as an escort'.
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The letter contained screenshots of an online profile which the sender claimed was being run by Barguss, as allegedly evidenced through links with her posts on Facebook.
Screenshots from videos also appeared to show Barguss engaged in sexual intercourse, and images showed her body from a range of angles while dressed in minimal clothing.
After the school received the letter, it held an initial meeting with Barguss in which she denied the claims.
The next day, however, she admitted to certain aspects of the allegations and resigned with immediate effect.
In February 2023, Birmingham City Council referred the concerns to the Teaching Regulation Agency, and a tribunal was held which considered the contents of the letter.
The panel noted that Barguss had admitted to being pictured in the photos, but claimed she wasn't trying to seek financial gain.
Instead, Burguss claimed she had joined the website to try and meet 'like-minded' individuals.
She claimed she hid her tattoos to try and prevent her identity from being exposed, but the panel argued that some of the images clearly showed her face.
The panel also pointed to prices which Barguss had laid out on the online profile, which stated she charged £120 ($154) for half an hour, £220 ($284) for an hour, and £1,600 ($2,067) overnight.
In spite of the prices listed, Barguss said she never gained any money from the website and that she just wanted to explore her relationship with a partner who also used the site.
The panel, however, argued the price list was a clear indication of an intention to sell sexual services.
They also noted that Barguss' pupils may have been able to find the profile and could have been inspired by seeing their teacher seemingly post images as a way to make money.
As a result, the panel found Barguss guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and banned her from teaching indefinitely.
When giving a statement, Barguss insisted she took her role as a teacher seriously and acknowledged that she regretted her actions.
She will be able to apply for the prohibition order to be set aside in July 2029.
Topics: UK News, Education, Social Media
Emily Brown