A controversial Florida high school teacher, who dubbed herself 'biology bombshell,' has resigned before the district could fire her after being accused by a group of girls of making inappropriate comments about her personal life, discussing teenage boys' bodies and joking about having sex with students.
Tiffany Johnson, 39, has left Howard W Blake High School in Tampa Bay after more than five years teaching biology there, citing unspecified 'personal reasons.' She was not charged with any crime.
'It was clear that Ms. Johnson on many occasions made inappropriate comments and overall did not conduct herself in a professional manner,' a spokesperson for the Tampa Bay School District told the Tampa Bay Times, which broke this story. 'As our district was moving toward termination, Ms. Johnson resigned.'
Johnson's departure came months after Madisyn Slater, a senior at the school, first raised the alarm about the teacher's outrageous classroom antics, which allegedly included telling students she was not wearing underwear, wondering aloud about the size of a student's penis, and discussing her vibrator.
Biology teacher Tiffany Johnson, 39, left Howard Blake High School in Tampa this spring, after being accused by a group of female students of making inappropriate comments in class
Johnson was a polarizing figure at the high school, where some students loved her, while others thought her to be outrageous
In her February 2021 email to School Superintendent Addison Davis, Slater said she has been hearing stories about Johnson from her peers for four years, and urged officials to look into it.
Davis wrote back, thanking Slater for speaking out and assuring that the district would look into her complaint 'immediately.'
Sure enough, just days later she was called down to the assistant principal's office and asked to fill out an official witness statement, along with her friend Jessica Chapa.
Chapa, who had Johnson as a teacher, recounted her inappropriate comments, including how she could not wait until her students turned 18, presumably so they could consent to sex with her.
Soon, more female students came forward with tales detailing Johnson's seemingly boundary-crossing conduct.
Senior Madisyn Slater was the first student to complain about Johnson back in February, ultimately leading to a district investigation and a criminal investigation
One girl claimed that the teacher would talk to her about her sex life and show her photos of men on her phone, while another recounted how on one occasion, a boy asked Johnson to touch her breasts, and she let him. That same girl, Rebeca Braukman, also said that the 39-year-old biology teacher had discussed the sensitivity of her nipples in class.
A third girl, Angelica Ayala, told Chapa how one time, Johnson had confided in her about a trip to a male strip club and showed her a photo of a dancer's penis. After that, Ayala said she decided to keep her distance from the teacher as much as she could without having to skip class.
Like Chapa, Ayala also said that Johnson would joke about having sex
