A Canadian special needs teacher was recently fired from her job after her school district discovered her racy OnlyFans account. The teacher, Kristin MacDonald, defended her side job, claiming that she turned to posting adult content for money because she didn’t receive a livable wage as a teacher.
Kristin MacDonald had been working as a teaching assistant at Terry Fox Secondary School in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, since 2015. However, during her time as a teacher, she also had an OnlyFans account under the pseudonym Ava James. On this platform, she would post adult content for financial gain.
Unfortunately for MacDonald, her secret side job was uncovered by the school district. On April 28, she received an email from School District 43 ordering her to deactivate all of her accounts related to Ava James. The email warned her that failure to comply could lead to termination. MacDonald refused to comply with the school district’s demands.
As a result, on June 16, MacDonald was fired by the school district. In her termination letter, a district assistant superintendent labeled her misconduct as egregious. The letter emphasized that employees are required to comply with the district’s policies and procedures, which include refraining from engaging in off-duty activities that could negatively affect the district’s operations or reputation.
The school district argued that MacDonald’s online activities, which involved sexualizing the school environment through provocative imagery and innuendo, were damaging to the district’s operations and work environment. In response, MacDonald expressed her disbelief, stating, I am an education assistant that has been terminated for putting on a schoolgirl outfit. Seems absurd to me.
While the school district instructed MacDonald not to discuss the matter with anyone other than her union representative, she defied this order and told her story to the media. Her union filed a grievance on her behalf, sparking a much-needed debate about teachers’ salaries and their struggles to make a livable wage.
MacDonald maintained that she never used her real name on her adult-oriented accounts. Moreover, she argued that she resorted to this titillating side job because she was not paid a livable wage as a single mother. She urged the school district to increase teachers’ salaries, saying, People gotta live, they got to make money. So I would say to the school district, you know, you don’t want me doing OnlyFans, then pay me a livable wage.
Despite her foray into adult content, MacDonald expressed her love for her job as a teacher and the emotional fulfillment it provided. She admitted that she would now miss it but stated her desire to work for a school district again.
MacDonald voiced her opinion on the matter, stating, I feel strongly that in this day and age, we should be able to do what we want as long as it’s not illegal. I’m not hurting anybody. Her termination undoubtedly left her with mixed emotions, including disappointment, but she maintained optimism that the process was not over yet.
At present, there has been no comment from School District 43 regarding MacDonald’s situation. The case raises important questions about the appropriate restrictions on teachers’ personal lives and highlights the ongoing struggle for a livable wage in the education sector.
