Two high school teachers in Missouri have been placed on leave after their OnlyFans accounts were discovered by school administrators. Megan Gaither, a 31-year-old English teacher and varsity cheerleading coach at St. Clair High School, revealed that she was placed on leave on October 27th after district officials found out about her account on the explicit content subscription platform. Gaither stated that she joined OnlyFans to help pay off her student loans, which amounted to over $125,000. She expressed frustration with the low pay in the teaching profession, saying, "Teaching does not financially support a person. It's really hard to stretch those paychecks during the summer. That's why I did it."

Gaither's pay, including a stipend for coaching the cheerleading squad, was around $47,500. She initially took down her OnlyFans account around the same time that fellow English teacher Brianna Coppage was placed on leave for her participation in selling explicit content. However, Gaither was later outed for her side hustle. At the time of taking down her account, Gaither claimed to have had around 1,500 subscribers and was earning an extra $3,000 to $5,000 per month. All of her content was faceless in an attempt to remain anonymous.

Speculation about Gaither's involvement on the platform began in mid-October when she was seen in a video posted on Coppage's OnlyFans account. Although Gaither's face was not visible in the video, it was recorded at a party, and she was later seen in a public picture wearing the same costume as in the video. Gaither expressed surprise that her involvement on OnlyFans would have such consequences on her career, stating, "I definitely did not think this would be the thing that would ruin my entire career."

The superintendent of the St. Clair R-XIII School District, Kyle Kruse, declined to make a statement regarding the situation. Gaither said that she was informed by district administration that she was placed on leave due to "professionalism and student communication," an accusation she denies. She emphasized that her decision to join OnlyFans was driven by the need to support her family financially and highlighted the need for change in teacher pay.

In a Facebook post, Gaither stated that she loved her job and would be "making noise" about her situation. She added, "At least I didn't try to neglect my duties of paying back what I borrowed to get educated, right? I made the adult choice of getting a side hustle. And guess what? It's working out ok so far."

Gaither's best friend and fellow teacher Brianna Coppage, who was also suspended for her OnlyFans account, revealed that she has made close to $1 million from selling explicit content on the platform. Coppage set up her account to supplement her income and help pay off her student loans. She has since resigned from her teaching position to become a full-time OnlyFans creator.

The two teachers were unaware of each other's involvement on OnlyFans until June, when Gaither made an offhand remark at a “Teachers Night” event. They have since become close friends. Gaither expressed her admiration for Coppage, stating, "In order to make change, you have to make noise and I think that is what Brianna did."

The situation has sparked concerns among teachers in Missouri, with Gaither suspecting that other teachers in the state have turned to OnlyFans to boost their income. Teachers in the United States are notoriously underpaid, with a median annual salary of just over $61,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gaither's story sheds light on the financial struggles faced by educators and the need for fairer compensation in the profession.