UPTOWN — Chicago Public Schools found no truth to the accusations from a local blogger who claimed that an Uptown teacher was a former porn actor who made racist jokes about his black students, officials said Wednesday.
CPS spokesman David Miranda said the school district found nothing to substantiate the claims against Courtenay Elementary School teacher Bradley Balof, who had denied blogger Kevin DuJan's accusations when they surfaced a few months ago.
"After conducting an investigation, CPS concluded that those allegations were unfounded," Miranda said Wednesday.
Balof said he was considering legal action against Dujan for smearing his name. DuJan was not immediately reachable for comment.
In May and June, DuJan posted articles on his Hillbuzz blog accusing the 34-year-old teacher at Courtenay (formerly Joseph Stockton Elementary School) of starring in pornographic films and making racist jokes about his black students.
Balof is an openly gay teacher who moonlights as a standup comic and emcee at Sidetrack Video Bar in Boystown and has used drag as part of his act. Years before becoming a teacher, he also acted in independent films that featured sexual content, but are not considered to be porn productions. Ties to pornography have led to other teacher firings nationwide.
Balof, who is considering suing DuJan for libel, wouldn't discuss damages he incurred as a result of the allegations "because of the potential pending case," he said.
The statute of limitations for filing a defamation lawsuit in Illinois is one year. Whether he sues or not, Balof said he's "adamant," about "being able to move past," the allegations.
"I'm happy to be teaching," Balof said. "It is something that I hope to move past and go beyond, and focus on my career and the future."
