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Melissa Petro (PICTURES): Prostitute Teacher a Reason to End Tenure, Says NYC Mayor

Melissa Petro (PICTURES): Prostitute Teacher a Reason to End Tenure, Says NYC Mayor
Melissa Petro (Personal Photo) Personal Photo

NEW YORK (CBS/WCBS) Melissa Petro, the New York City elementary school teacher who has history as a Craigslist call girl, also has tenure - which basically grants teachers lifetime job security - and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg isn't happy about it.

PICTURES: Melissa Petro, Teacher Sex Worker

Bloomberg said Wednesday that Petro's case is just another reason to do away with the tenure system, according to CBS station WCBS.

"We're just not going to have this woman in front of a class," Bloomberg said.

Petro has apparently long admitted she once worked as a stripper. But three weeks ago, days after getting job protection in the form of tenure, she took it to the next level, blogging on The Huffington Post that she briefly worked as a prostitute, running ads on Craigslist from Oct. 2006 to Jan. 2007 and exchanging sex for cash.

Petro claims at least one supervisor knew of her sex worker past, reports WCBS, but since her prostitute past went public, Petro has been reassigned to a non-teaching position. She worked at PS 70 in the Bronx since 2007, teaching art to students from kindergarten through the fifth grade, and says she did not work as a prostitute while employed by the Department of Education.

When a WCBS reporter asked the mayor how thorough Petro's required background check was before she was hired in August 2007, Bloomberg replied, "Obviously, whatever they did, did not turn this up."

Whether she broke the law in terms of applying for and getting tenure or whether the system just broke down is being investigated.

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
September 28, 2010 - Melissa Petro (PICTURES): NYC Teacher Takes to Facbook, Says She "Saw It Coming"
September 27, 2010 - Melissa Petro (PICTURES): NYC Elementary Teacher Admits Being Craigslist ProstituteALSO ON CRIMESIDER


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