Until they found the topless photos, Austin High School officials considered Tamara Hoover an excellent art teacher with a knack for helping students find their creativity.

Now, she’s fighting for her job.

The photos, which were posted on Flickr.com by her partner, depict Hoover in the shower, lifting weights, getting dressed, in bed and doing other routine activities.

Hoover said Friday the photos are art and makes no apologies.

The district wants to revoke her teaching certification, which would keep her out of Texas classrooms permanently. Hoover will appeal the ruling and is prepared to take the case to court, she said.

Last time I checked, the flickr page[s] were marked private — though they obviously must have been public at one time or another for this one to have been copied.

Aside from discussions about what’s artistic and what isn’t, you have to be more than a little naive to presume that Texas public schools function in a fairly recent century.



  1. Dugan says:

    I went to her stupid website on “myspace” and noticed she’s trying to get donation for her stupid cause. I felt like posting “Kiss my ass” and use your own F$%%ing money bitch. I’m neither religious nor some dye in the wool liberal but I get sick of these crybabies who sign a contracts without verifying the fine writing — then they want everyone to jump on their stuipid cause and have the courts rescind the contract because they’re too stupid and lazy to read what they’ve signed.

    Good point about if this was a male who displayed his penis on line. Wouldn’t that be a different story.

  2. Joe says:

    She is an art teacher in a public school for God’s sake, not a theology teacher in a private Catholic or Evangelical school.

    This story is an example of sad and idiotic McCarthyism and censorship which clashes with the attitude a school should have (at least in theory): create free-minded, balance, mature and creative people who appreciate self-expression.

    Besides, all the pictures were certainly artistic and tasteful.

    Grow out of you Taliban-like hypocritical puritanism, America.


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