N.J. High School Teacher Accused of Discussing Prostitution, Gets to Keep Job: Officials

A New Jersey high school teacher accused of wanting to strip and exchange money for sex with a female student gets to keep his job, an arbitrator has ruled. He will lose four months of pay, however.

The allegations against Thomas C. Strassle were previously dismissed because there was no competent and reliable evidence to support them, arbitrator Melissa Biren wrote in her decision.

In her decision, Biren did say that "inserting himself in a conversation with female high school students about becoming prostitutes or strippers, and asking whether they would do anything for money, even if intended as a joke, was improper for a teacher. It was entirely unrelated to the curriculum for the class."

However, "I am not persuaded that the actions proven in this case render Strassle unfit to continue to teach," she said.

The Old Bridge administration had sought to fire the tenured teacher, even though the Old Bridge police department also investigated those claims and declined to press charges against Strassle, according to nj.com.

Two students testified that Strassle made the remarks as a joke and said the industrial arts teacher never made any inappropriate comments prior to that day in January 2015, according to the decision.

Strassle is a tenured teacher in the district who began work there in 2003. He was placed on administrative leave beginning on Sept. 29, 2015.

Photo: Old Bridge High School