WILTON, Iowa - A longtime Wilton industrial arts teacher and former wrestling coach denies school officials' accusations that he used a school computer to access Internet pornography sites.

Steve Shirk also says he can account for his whereabouts during the times he supposedly logged on to the sites and that other evidence indicates someone else may have been responsible for the inappropriate use of the computer.

Shirk, faced with a choice of either resigning or being fired, submitted his resignation at the May 9 Wilton School Board meeting, and the Board accepted it. Shirk has taught for 26 years in the Wilton School District and coached several standout wrestling teams and individuals.

Superintendent John Sauer read a prepared statement at the meeting, which stated that "... Mr. Shirk submitted his resignation as a result of an investigation that was conducted into his use of the district's computers and Internet access. This investigation found that Mr. Shirk has used the district's computers and Internet access on several occasions to access numerous inappropriate Internet sites, including sites that featured sexually explicit content that is inappropriate for a school environment and unacceptable for the Wilton Community School District.

"Mr. Shirk was presented with the results of the investigation and was given the opportunity to resign or face termination. In light of these options and the evidence that had been presented to him, Mr. Shirk chose to submit his resignation."

Sauer declined further comment when contacted Thursday by the Muscatine Journal.

The Wilton District's lawyer, Brett Nitzschka, insisted the case wasn't a personal vendetta against Shirk.

"They weren't seeking him out," Nitzschka said. "It came out as a surprise to the District. Once made, we did an appropriate investigation.

"When presented with the evidence, he chose to resign. If there weren't sufficient evidence, we wouldn't have taken action."

The investigation was done by school officials. Wilton police were not called, according to police chief Steven Mallinger.

Shirk, however, said Thursday he wasn't responsible for the inappropriate Internet use.

"On March 9, Mr. Sauer came into my room," Shirk said. "He had documentation that someone logged onto my computer to view pornography. (But) my computer was left on during the day. I suppose someone could have got on it. (Mr. Sauer) asked me into his office.

"There, he showed me some documentation. Most of the documents didn't have times, except the handwritten time of March 7, from 4-4:30. I told him ‘Mr. Sauer, I can prove I wasn't there.' I was with my insurance agent and I got documentation that I was there until at least 4:05. After that, I met a friend at 4:15 and he vouches that I met with him until 5:30.

"I was just negligent of leaving my computer on."

Shirk also said he knows he wasn't present during the other times when the sites were accessed. He also said that school technology staff told him there were filters to block inappropriate sites, so he wasn't worried about leaving his computer on.

Shirk said he was told that pornography sites on his computer were accessed on six different days. Those times, he said, were after school while he was weightlifting, one time during his lunch period, once briefly before school and also during his planning period n all times he says he typically was away from his computer, which is in an isolated area.

"I told him (Sauer) that I could vouch for some of that time," Shirk said. "But he said, ‘You're responsible for your computer, so we need you to resign or be terminated.'"

Shirk said he didn't give Sauer an answer for a couple of days and also asked the high school principal for advice but "he didn't know anything about it."

The following day, Shirk said Sauer approached him with a proposal. "He said, ‘I have something that would allow us to sweep it under the table. You go to employee assistance counseling for one session and just show me documentation that you went. But you can't say anything to anybody about this. This has to be kept confidential.'"

Shirk said his teachers union official said the counseling "wouldn't hurt anything" and he made an appointment for March 23.

"I thought everything was taken care of."

But Shirk said that on March 22, Saucer accused him of breaking confidentiality with the principal and other faculty members.

"I don't know what he meant there," Shirk said. "He also said I hadn't made the appointment, asking that I resign or that they would terminate me."

Shirk admitted he hadn't told Sauer he'd made the appointment.

"It's my fault n I should have told him when the appointment was," Shirk said. "At that time, I really wasn't able to think real straight. It was a traumatic incident for me n I was shocked at that point. But I do have documentation that I made the appointment."

Shirk also asserted that Sauer and he have not had a good working relationship.

"In 1997, the school allocated $350,000 to update the industrial tech facility. I spent hours and hours going to classes on my own, remodeling the facility and setting up the equipment. It was a facility I was very proud of and invested a lot of time in.

"When he came in, Mr. Sauer talked the School Board into making it a weight room and I was moved. We had several disagreements, several arguments, some of which were very vocal. I think there were some hard feelings between us because of that."

He also said that when he was president of the teachers union, negotiations with Sauer and school officials "... went very badly."

Sauer's decision to force him out is unfair, Shirk said, because "... I don't think I was given much benefit of the doubt."

Shirk said he refused to resign on March 22 and then was placed on administrative leave by Sauer.

Shirk also cited another incident that he says raises questions about who was logging on to the inappropriate sites.

He said that on March 28, Bill Hammes, vo-ag teacher whose office is closest to Shirk's, brought him two sheets of paper that he found on his (Hammes') computer keyboard.

"One sheet was my log-in documentation and password, which I had kept hidden in my desk," Shirk said, "and the other sheet was a handwritten note that he paraphrased: ‘Shirk's computer is gone. Can't log on to your computer. I guess no more porn.'

"I don't know if anyone was bragging about it or just letting someone know that someone else had been on the computer. I don't want to guess what that was."

Hammes said he turned the handwritten note into the administration but heard nothing more about it.

After discussing the situation with his lawyer, Shirk said he eventually decided to resign. "My lawyer said he wouldn't be able to win with it. He didn't think it would be enough to convince the school board."

Brenda Howard, a special education teacher at Wilton for 28 years, said she knows Shirk is innocent.

"I'm furious," Howard said. "This is the kind of thing that drives people from teaching. I find it deeply disturbing that he was treated this way."

Shirk said he hopes he will be able to teach again.

"It's something I love to do very much," Shirk said.

When asked what he thought of his chances of getting another teaching position, he said, "It all depends on if a school district believes in me or wants to believe in me. This could very well ruin my teaching career.

"I do hope someone will give me a chance."

Contact Kristi Nixon at: 563-263-2331 Ext. 328 orsports@muscatinejournal.com