A Missouri high school teacher was placed on leave Wednesday after administrators found out she and her husband were running a pornographic OnlyFans page, according to a report.
The St. Clair School District launched an investigation into Brianna Coppage, 28, over her scandalous side gig shortly after rumblings of the account swept through the community, roughly 55 miles southwest of St. Louis.
“It was kind of always like this cloud hanging over my head, like I never knew when I would be discovered,” Coppage told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“Then, about two weeks ago, my husband and I were told that people were finding out about it. So I knew this day was coming.”
The freshman and sophomore English teacher said she was motivated to launch her pornography account over the summer to bolster her measly educator’s salary — which earned her $42,000 last year, public records show.
Coppage’s OnlyFans channel raked in between $8,000 and $10,000 per month, which has since doubled following the news of her suspension.
District superintendent Kyle Kruse told the outlet in a statement that the district was “recently notified that an employee may have posted inappropriate media on one or more internet sites.”
Coppage’s status with the district will hinge on the results of an investigation being carried out by legal counsel hired by the district in accordance with board police, Kruse said.
“(The district says) they haven’t made a decision yet, but I’m just kind of putting the pieces together that I am not coming back,” Coppage said.
“I’m very aware that I am probably never going to teach again, but that was kind of the risk I knew I was taking. I am sad about that. I do miss my students.”
Although Coppage isn’t sure who ratted her out, she believes the complaint came after she and her husband collaborated with another OnlyFans couple that has a more substantial following.
She originally chose the direct-to-subscriber service because she thought it was private enough to protect her identity.
Coppage insisted that she never filmed content or posted to the account while she was on school grounds.
“That was like my completely, separate personal life outside of teaching,” Coppage said.
“There is this expectation that teachers should be the moral leaders of students, and I do not disagree with that … I taught the curriculum. I taught students reading and writing, and I didn’t guide them on my thoughts or beliefs. … And I can’t control what people think of me. I just know that who I am as a person, I’m not doing anything illegal. I am a good friend. I am a good family member. That is all I can think about right now.”
Her husband is not facing any disciplinary action from his employer, Coppage said.
