A sixth-grade teacher at an all-girls academy in Dallas ISD says she was fired after word got out that she was an adult film actress more than 16 years ago.

Resa Woodward, who taught science at the Young Women’s STEAM Academy at Balch Springs Middle School, was pulled from the classroom on Nov. 29.

District spokeswoman Robyn Harris said Woodward was still considered to be on administrative leave as of Tuesday. She declined to release additional details, citing personnel matters, saying only “the process continues.”

Woodward, 38, said she is fighting termination.

Records obtained by The Dallas Morning News this week show that the district was first made aware of Woodward's work in the adult film industry after an anonymous tip on March 10. An internal review at the time cleared her of any policy violation.

Woodward said district officials told her then that she could continue teaching unless her previous career became public. That happened this fall.

“I taught in an all-girls STEAM academy that was all about empowerment for women,” Woodward said Tuesday. “The sad thing is that if these girls find out that I’m being punished for something that I did nearly 20 years ago and had no control of and fought to get out of, well, what does that say about empowerment?”

She added: “That involvement was not of my own choosing.”

Woodward said she was forced into pornography when she was living with an older man and they had financial troubles. She said she was able to leave the situation, finish school and become a teacher.

She tried to move on. Then a tip came to the district in March saying her film name was Robyn Foster.

A web-based adult film database lists Robyn Foster as active in the industry from 2001 to 2004 and associates that actress with 16 movies, including compilations of previously recorded material that was then released as recently as 2013.

“The caller was concerned because he/she did not want his/her child exposed to things like this,” according to the report. The tipster felt Woodward was trying to deceive the students and parents.

Kate Gorman Bauer, the district’s director of Professional Standards, searched the internet and confirmed that Woodward was in numerous pornographic videos and photos. Initially, Woodward denied the allegations, then confirmed it was her, according to the district’s investigation.

Woodward told district officials that activity stopped in 2001 and believed a man who knew her was retaliating against her by alerting the district, according to the report.

“I’ve been trying to live my life as far away as possible from this stuff for a long time,” she told officials, according to the report. She said no students, colleagues or supervisors were aware of her previous career.

Bauer closed the investigation on March 23, noting that “Woodward’s past participation in pornography does not in itself constitute a policy violation.”

But Woodward’s political activities last fall led to her outing, she said.

Woodward is a well-known activist in the Libertarian Party of Texas, where she serves as state membership coordinator and a district representative. She frequently contributes articles to various Libertarian-related websites.

Woodward said she wrote in a Facebook post last fall that she had to call police on a drunken driver while traveling. A man claiming he was associated with the Libertarian Party in another state became upset with that post because of his attitude toward police, she said. He then detailed her past on social media.

Woodward said she notified Dallas ISD officials of his post. She was placed on administrative leave in November.

“They told me they were pursuing termination because it became public,” she said.

Woodward said she’s exploring options to fight her termination. She noted that she was praised as a teacher, earning recognition from Dallas ISD in merit pay increases for her work two years in a row.

She filed an appeal with the Texas Education Agency. But spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson said the agency wasn’t assigning an independent hearing because the appeal was filed incorrectly.

Texas teachers must adhere to a code of ethics that require them to have “good moral character” and be “worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state.” Breaking that code can be grounds for termination.

However, districts have a lot of leeway in determining what that means, said Clay Robison, spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association.

“The district can claim that something a teacher does has undermined her ability to be effective as a teacher,” Robison said. “A teacher can fight it, but that usually involves significant costs.”

Woodward said she has worked in education for 15 years. State records show she previously worked in the McKinney school district before joining Dallas in 2012.

She took a year off from teaching to earn her master’s degree in 2013, according to district records.