ATLANTA, April 1 (UPI) -- A jury found a former high school teacher in Georgia did not commit a crime when his students danced provocatively and simulated sex acts during his class.
The jury found former chorus teacher Nathan Grigsby not guilty of five counts of contributing to the deprivation of a minor Wednesday following the two-day trial in DeKalb County State Court, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Thursday.
"I wanted my students to understand even when you're facing a difficult decision, you stand for what is right," Grigsby said after the verdict was announced.
Much of the trial centered on a 68-second video of the three male students performing in Grigsby's class in December 2008, in which the boys remove their shirts and dance provocatively as girls screamed. The video also showed the boys falling to the floor, gyrating and snatching at girls while simulating sex acts, the Journal-Constitution said.
Grigsby testified he was unaware of what was going on because he was helping another student, but when he saw what was happening, he stopped it.
The three male dancers, who graduated in 2009, testified for Grigsby. They face charges of public indecency and disrupting a public school.
Grigsby, who was fired last year and has another job, said he wants his former job but DeKalb school board chairman Tom Bowen said Grigsby won't be rehired, the newspaper said.
"Acquittal of a crime does not mean that the board's decision was incorrect or will in any way be revisited," Bowen said.
