TOPLESS teacher Louise Crolla has been cleared to return to work at an Oldham school, but says she can't face pupils after the row over her glamour modelling pictures.
Miss Crolla, 26, was asked to leave Royton and Crompton School - where she worked as a supply teacher - after the topless images were published in a Sunday newspaper.
The school's head, Des Herlihy, set up an investigation of the issue after parents complained about the images.
But the local education authority at Oldham said officials were happy for her to return to the school and confirmed the matter was now closed.
Miss Crolla's supply teaching agency, Education Recruitment, said it was now up to her whether or not she returned to work.
However, the former netball international player from Bury, who hasn't worked since the photo was first published last month, said it would be "ridiculous" for her to try and return to teaching - even though her name has been cleared.
'Gutted'
She added: "I really don't want to do anything at the moment. I feel gutted. I have gone from being quite a well respected member of the community and now I just want to get away from the area.
"I would not even go topless on holiday, and now millions of people have seen me without my top on. It is not a nice feeling."
Miss Crolla, who had been employed by her agency to work at the school for just four days, defended the decision to have the pictures taken.
"I never intended the pictures to be seen by anyone except me and the people I chose to show them too, and I never wanted them to be put up on the internet," she said.
"I had them taken for personal reasons, and I have questioned myself so many times. But it is not irresponsible. The reaction from the pupils has shown that.
"I am very professional. The people who are slamming me don't know what I have done for the kids." Former St Gabriel's RC School pupil Miss Crolla, who is now staying with her parents near Bury, said her family were very upset and disappointed when they saw the pictures, which are now more than two years old.
"I can't go around to everyone explaining the reasons why I had them taken," she said.
Gym instructor
"It is going to take my parents a long time to get over it."
Miss Crolla emphasised she could had not been suspended because she was not a permanent staff member at the time of publication.
The former gym instructor and self-defence teacher, taught at Matthew Moss High School, Rochdale, for nine months until January, when she started work at Royton and Crompton High School.
She has apparently won support from pupils at her new school. A comment claiming to be from a pupil posted on the MEN website said: "Mrs Crolla is the best teacher ever. Why should this be an excuse to sack her?
"We loved her and she was a great credit to our school. We really miss her and want her back."
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'topless teacher can't face pupils'? i thought i was reading the daily star's website for a second there. can't the MEN find any real news to report?
All this is disappointing, I trust the parents who have complained who will go on holiday to the Med will make sure that if they have young boys that they stop them looking at topless girls. After all, the next one might be a future doctor or a nurse or someone else who we will relay on in the future.
louise baby get them sued for discrimination and undue stress caused.
Did this woman abuse her position ,NO she didn't
Ms Crolla is an adult. What she decides to do in the privacy of her own life, away from school should never have affected her employment. The paper that originally published the pictures should be looked into. There was no 'public interest' here. The person responsible for handing the pictures over to the papers for publication should be pilloried. They are the lowest of the low. I'd be more than happy for Ms Crolla to teach my children and hope that she will return to teaching when she feels able.
Its also good to see the MEN publish a more standard picture of Ms Crolla. She deserves our respect and sympathy. The only thing she did wrong was to trust someone with her pictures.