ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606100042
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WOODBRIDGE
SOURCE: Associated Press
A Prince William County teacher killed himself after being fired for allegedly encouraging students to include partly undressed figures in videotapes they made for his class.
Police found the body of Darin Jensen, 36, in a Dumfries hotel room Thursday. He left a suicide note before shooting himself.
Jensen, who taught television production at Woodbridge High School, was fired after an investigation by school officials who discovered a video of a girl getting dressed for school. The video was shot by a 15-year-old boy in Jensen's class and turned in as a homework assignment.
In an interview with The Washington Post two weeks ago, Jensen denied any wrongdoing. He said the only inappropriate part of his student's three-minute video was a three-second shot of the girl wearing a bra while putting on makeup. Jensen said he told the student the shot should not have been included in the video and that he wouldn't show the video in class.
``I was totally devastated,'' Jensen said in the May 24 interview, referring to his April 9 suspension and ensuing investigation. ``I couldn't believe it.''
``The reaction has been one of terrible sadness,'' said Prince William School Superintendent Edward L. Kelly. ``Any time you have to take this kind of action, even without a death, it's tragic. When you have a death on top of it, it makes it that much worse.''
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB