SPRING, TX – A high school social studies teacher in Texas was recently fired and could be facing some legal trouble after allegedly displaying pornography in front of his class [1] as they were taking a quiz earlier in April.
The incident reportedly occurred on April 11th at Klein Collins High School. Students inside of Kevin Welchel’s social studies class had their quiz interrupted when some pornography suddenly popped up on the classroom smart board.
Apparently, the smart board was connected to Welchel’s school-issued laptop. Reports [2] suggest the teacher was viewing the adult content when it somehow managed to crop up on the projector.
Whether or not the porn winding up on the smart board was done intentionally by the teacher, the school and prosecutors are not taking the matter lightly. The Klein Independent School District issued a statement confirming that Welchel was fired for the incident and that charges have been filed.
“The individual was immediately removed and is no longer employed by the district. Charges have been filed by the police, and all appropriate legal action will be taken to the fullest extent of the law. The district does not tolerate such unacceptable conduct.”
Legal analyst and attorney Cordt Akers says that the porn display could see this former teacher being put behind bars for up to a year, and that the facts of the case offer little in terms of formulating a good legal defense.
“Based on the facts we have, this is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. The defensive to this the only intent he had was scientific or educational, but based on the facts we have, I don’t think this material is going to cut that.”
Locals in the area had mixed feelings about the incident, with some feeling sorry for Welchel while others were justifiably disgusted that a high school teacher would be watching porn in class on the clock in the first place.
One local parent remarked, “That is something that is very, very unprofessional. Something that is very inappropriate. Something that should not have happened.” Another parent claimed that Welchel “was an excellent teacher and our children loved him, so it’s really unfortunate that this happened, and hopefully, somehow it will work itself out.”
One of the more disgusted locals stated, “It’s not shocking because people do watch that, and there are sick people out there in the world. They better get right with God.”
As for Welchel, he’s clearly keeping his lips sealed for the time being regarding the incident – undoubtedly under the advice of legal counsel, considering charges could be coming down the road for him. But even if Welchel is able to avoid charges regarding this incident, his teaching career is likely finished with a debacle of this magnitude.