More on the Tiffany Shepherd firing Story

SOURCE: http://www.palmbeachpost.com Editorial

Is this a school scandal in the flesh? The biology teacher claims that she lost her job for serving as a part-time bikini mate on a charter fishing boat.

Access Hollywood calling! Wait, put them on hold. Here's a call from Inside Edition. Meanwhile, The Post's Internet slide show of Port St. Lucie High School teacher Tiffany Shepherd's revealing bikini photos drew half a million hits.

It's an entertaining story: a teacher fired because prudish St. Lucie County School District officials objected to her work as a bikini-clad mate on Smokin' Em Charters, where she served drinks and sandwiches to Fort Pierce fishing boat customers. She did not go topless, as other Smokin' Em mates do. Even so, Ms. Shepherd said she can earn a week of teacher's pay in two days' work on the charter boat, and she has three young sons to support.

But according to the school district, Ms. Shepherd wasn't fired because of what she was paid for showing off on her part-time job. She was fired for not showing up at her full-time job.

St. Lucie district officials said Ms. Shepherd had exhausted her sick leave by Sept. 20, and missed 35 days by midyear. Ms. Shepherd said she has frequent migraines and that one of her sons was seriously ill this year. But the district says that she failed to respond to warning letters that sought documentation.

One school official said Ms. Shepherd's bikini photos on the Internet could have been a problem with the district's code of ethics. But the district did not know about the photos until after she was fired. Neither her part-time job nor the Internet photos would be reason to fire her. But anybody who misses work too many times without explanation is fishing to get fired.

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Ms. Shepherd's ample figure and her claims of unfair treatment generated heat and sympathy on the Internet. But the firing does not seem unfair. In fact, getting the boot for not showing up is about as basic - and boring - as it gets.