Teacher on porn site pulled from Edgemont class

Linda Janack, who taught at Edgemont Elementary School during the day and had sex on an on-line, X-rated porn site with her husband at night, has been pulled from the classroom just before the opening of school.
On Monday, after a 43-minute closed-door session with their attorneys, five grim-faced members of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to “ratify Supt. [Pete] Kudlak’s decision to place tenured teacher Linda Janack on a paid, non-disciplinary leave of absence until further notice from Mr. Kudlak or this board.”
Absent from the meeting were Trustees Kelly Owen and Simone Pinter.
The board also ratified Supt. Kudlak’s decision that during her leave of absence, Janack may not be present on school property or have contact with students without authorization from administration.
Agenda item 14 d., “Potential Action on Teacher Tenure,” concerning Janack, was deferred to the board’s Sept. 10 meeting.
After the vote, the meeting was adjourned.
Last week, Detroit and Ann Arbor media released stories on Janack, a highly respected and liked, tenured teacher, who with her husband, a teacher in Dearborn Heights, owned and had sex on a porn site, “Hot for Teachers,” on their own time since January.
News stories had quoted a 2010 Michigan Court of Appeals ruling that a public school teacher cannot be fired for private behavior that does not adversely affect students.
A Channel 4 television reporter and cameraman were at Monday’s school board meeting to record the board’s decision in front of a small audience in the administration building, where the board meets during the summer months.
After the meeting, Supt. Kudlak told Channel 4, “We didn’t want her in the classroom around kids at this point. So that was part of the administrative leave. To make sure she is not on property or around the students.”
No comments from the audience were offered on Janack or anything else during the meeting. But, reportedly parents had complained to the district about the teacher and news media and at least one parent had threatened to pull her child from the district if Janack was in the classroom when school started.
Local social media showed much support for the teacher who, it was said, broke no laws and taught the students well.
One school official, who preferred not to be identified, said the teacher embarrassed the whole school district with her activity.
In other business at the first part of Monday’s meeting the board:
• Pulled from the agenda a vote on the six-month, tentative agreement between the Van Buren Educational Association and the district because four votes were needed to pass the contract and only four members were present at that time. Treasurer Susan Featheringill would have to recuse herself from the vote because her daughter was covered by the contract. Although Secretary Kevin English came in late to the meeting, he couldn’t vote either because his wife is a teacher. A special meeting will be called to ratify the contract, which would run through December 2018;
• Approved putting the Career Technical Center building and property at 414 and 420 Sumpter Road up for sale through Paul Armstrong with Mi Choice Realty at a total price of $725,000. The property includes a salt barn and five trailers on 8.15 acres;
• Approved terminations of the following teachers: Eva Simon after one year at Haggerty EDC for a job opportunity; Jordyn Hovis, after 1.5 years at McBride Middle School, for a job opportunity; Jasmine Bates, after four years at McBride, for a job opportunity; Kristine Pipok, after five years at Belleville High School, for a job opportunity; Cynthia Neubauer, after 25 years at Owen, Tyler, and Rawsonville, to retire; Renee Rook, after three years at McBride, for person reasons; Gregory Kirk, after five years at Owen, for a job opportunity; Dawn McFarlin of McBride; and Reni Woods of BHS for a job opportunity;
• Approved hiring the following teachers: Melissa Michel to teach English at BHS; Sandra Martinez to teach Spanish at McBride; Lisa Swingle, Instructional Coach at Rawsonville; Kelli Kubrak to teach English Language Arts at McBride; David Turner to teach math at McBride; Devin Girbach to teach social studies at McBride; Jackie Swisher to teach ECP at Haggerty ECDC; Jessica Romak to teach U.S. History at BHS; Maggie Jones to teach fifth grade at Owen; Jessica Argiero to teach English at BHS; Anastazia Wyborski to teach in New Tech at BHS; Sabrina Ali to teach fifth grade at Owen; Laurie Garden to teach at Rawsonville; and Demeatrice Brooks for the Resource classroom at McBride;
• Approved the resignation of non-instructional staff member Deborah Siedlaczek after one year of service at Haggerty ECDC to work closer to home; and
• Approved the hiring of Lynn Johnson for maintenance in the Building and Grounds Department; Kristine Larocque as a secretary in the Transportation Department; and Stefanie Steffes as a paraprofessional in the Special Services Department.