Pole fitness is a widely popular form of exercise and attracts people from a variety of backgrounds. While it isn’t always meant as a sexual act, the art form remains taboo in the minds of many. Case in point, this teacher was suspended after a video of her pole dancing was leaked and now she’s fighting for her job with Hoke County Public Schools. Romper has reached out to Hoke County for comment, but has yet to hear back at this time.
Kandice Mason is a sixth-grade teacher in Hoke County, North Carolina. And while teaching English is her primary source of income, she also has a side job teaching a pole dancing fitness class. When Mason posted a video of herself pole dancing to her personal Facebook page, Café Mom reported, it was leaked to the school system and she was reportedly suspended from her job at the school.
I volunteered at a child care facility that Kandice was employed at. She did an amazing job with the children in her class. Not to mention that she is a highly educated, single mother. She would be an asset to any classroom she entered. I hope they consider this when they review the situation.
Since the reported suspension, Mason has spoken out about what happened to her. In an interview with local news station ABC 11 WDTV, she explained that pole fitness is something very special to her. “That’s how I stay in shape,” she said in the interview. “That’s how I feel like I can express myself and have time for myself.”
While Hoke County Schools has yet to respond to Romper’s request for comment, Café Mom reported that the school’s spokesperson, Donna Thomas, said that Mason has been suspended with pay pending an official investigation. When speaking with ABC 11, Mason explained that the school presented her with its policy when suspending her that reads:
As role models for the school system, students, however, employees are responsible for their public conduct … even when they are not performing their job duties as employees of the school system.
As the Associated Press reported on YouTube, Mason does not see her dancing as something to be ashamed of. “It’s just an art for me. I just don’t see it as negative,” Mason said in the video.