Teacher Resigns After Garter-Belt Pose
Kentucky teacher snapped allegedly biting female student's "candy" garter.
June 13, 2007 — -- An investigation into a teacher's risque prom picture pose has ended with his resignation from a Louisville, Ky., high school.
Brett Coogle, 28, quit his job after Western High School administrators saw a photograph in which the English teacher was allegedly taking a bite from a female student's "candy" garter belt at the school's May 11 prom, a school district spokeswoman confirmed to ABC News.
"Some kids were passing around prom pictures, and a staff member saw a photo that raised some concern and showed it to the principal," said Lauren Roberts of the Jefferson County Public Schools.
"The photo allegedly showed him [Coogle] removing a candy garter belt with his teeth from a female student during the prom," Roberts said.
Louis Hughley, the principal at Western High School, reassigned Coogle to noninstructional duties on May 17 pending the outcome of an internal investigation, the school district confirmed.
But Coogle, who has been employed in Jefferson County since 2003 and also coaches fast-pitch softball and volleyball, resigned, ending the investigation.
A message left for Coogle with a roommate at his Louisville, Ky., apartment was not returned.
Wanda Bass, whose granddaughter attended the prom, told the Louisville Courier-Journal that most of the students had interpreted Coogle's pose as a joke -- not that it was the smartest thing to do.
"I don't think he meant any harm, but I still don't think he should have done that," Bass said. "From what I understand, he was a well-liked teacher and coach. It's too bad that he lost his job over it."
