Education lawyer claims teachers are turning to OnlyFans to supplement low salaries

Teachers and celebrities alike are turning to OnlyFans for the eye-popping sums of money that can be made, with many professionals ditching or losing their day jobs after employers find out about their side hustle. 

The platform, in which customers pay for access to "exclusive," often sexual content they won’t find on other social media platforms, has been a point of contention in the American cultural zeitgeist, with many labeling it degrading or taboo, while proponents argue it is a way for individuals to monetize online content.

OnlyFans, which skyrocketed in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, features content ranging from nude images and pornographic videos to scantily clad women cooking and doing yoga. 

Many teachers in particular have turned to the platform to supplement their income. Most recently, two teachers from the same high school in Missouri were placed on leave after district administrators found out they were operating personal OnlyFans accounts, Fox News Digital previously reported. The issue raised questions about personal freedoms and employment consequences, as well as the legal uncertainties surrounding termination based on involvement in the adult entertainment industry. 

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Both teachers, Megan Gaither and Brianna Coppage said they started selling racy content to pay off student loans. Coppage, who made $42,000 working as a teacher, told Fox News Digital in an interview that she's now among the platform's top creators, raking in nearly $1 million since she began the account over the summer.

Gaither said she made an OnlyFans account to help pay off the $125,000 in student loans she owes. 

Brianna Coppage, 28, was an English teacher at St. Clair High School but resigned earlier in October after administrators placed her on leave following the discovery of her OnlyFans account. (Fox News Digital)

Last year, Arizona teacher Samantha Peer resigned "under pressure" after students discovered her OnlyFans account, which prompted outrage from parents.

"I created content at the beginning of the summer in order to earn extra money on the side to help pay for our basic necessities that our salaries were no longer meeting," Peer said at the time.

Other similar instances include Kristin MacDonald, a former special needs teaching assistant in Canada, who was fired from her job in June for refusing to take down her OnlyFans account after it was discovered by school administrators. 

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Rita Mkrtchyan, senior defense attorney at Oak View Law Group in California, spoke with Fox News Digital about the regulations in educational law and the legality of second jobs held by teachers, which she argued in favor of given their minimal salaries. She said there is not enough additional training, tuition reimbursement or professional development in teaching, which is why educators turn to OnlyFans as an option. 

"It's disheartening to witness the backlash against teachers utilizing alternative income streams, such as Brianna Coppage's [and Megan Gaither's] recent case, where she turned to OnlyFans to supplement her income," she said. "While I acknowledge the debate around the morality and district/school specific Code of Conduct violations of a teacher's presence on such platforms, I urge us to redirect the conversation to the systemic issues that force educators into such positions."

Kristin MacDonald, a teaching assistant in School District 43, was fired after the district advised her to delete social media for "Ava James," her OnlyFans persona that she maintains to make money on the side.  (Instagram/@a_v_a_james88)

"While teachers are, on average, earning a modest salary, superintendents and school administrators are making nearly ten times that amount," she added. "This vast disparity is a testament to the misallocation of funds within our education system."

"While I personally understand concerns about educators being role models of good character, our focus should not be on penalizing teachers but rather rectifying the foundational flaws in our education system," she added. 

As a special education lawyer, Mkrtchyan said while it is oftentimes very district specific, the legality of the controversy of a teacher operating an OnlyFans is relatively black and white, it is a clear violation of a school district's code of conduct. 

"In my opinion, it's not even debatable because we hold teachers to a higher standard because they're not only teaching academics, they're also teaching character and how to be a good citizen," she said. "I understand there's those codes of conduct, I don't oppose it, it's clearly a contractual violation, [but] I wouldn't say it's illegal."

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She argued that across the board in the U.S., teachers don't make enough money, but admitted that the ethical dilemma of educators engaging in platforms like OnlyFans, is a complex issue. 

OnlyFans is firmly in the American zeitgeist. (Davide Bonaldo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"I'm based in California, they can make anywhere from $30,000 a year to the high end of $60,000 a year if they have a higher degree, if they're more specialized... that's clearly not good enough for the cost of living, so of course they're going to supplement," she said. "Now, how they supplement is their own moral compass and I personally don't have a problem [with OnlyFans], but I can see how the district will have a problem." 

She said administrators need to take a look at how district money is being allocated, so teachers aren't forced to supplement their income to begin with. 

"Teachers shouldn't be forced to seek additional income streams to afford necessary higher education degrees—a professional requisite," she added. "Instead, let's address the root causes: elevate teacher salaries, invest in their ongoing education, and provide the necessary resources for them to excel in their noble profession." 

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Fox News Digital's Brian Flood and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.