Can a Teacher be Fired?

An interesting case in Plattsburgh that has been ongoing for a couple years now. A female PE/track coach appeared to be seeking an 'improper' relationship with a 16 yr old HS student. 'Improper' appears to be a euphemism. The local paper was given letters the teacher had written to the student and they were published. 'Improper' to put it mildly. In any case, the school board attempted to get the teacher dismissed. It went through the complex NYS process with the school board putting forth 46 charges against her. The teacher was put on paid leave of absence. The hearing officer dismissed 41 of the 46 charges, sustaining only 5 of them. The letters were deemed 'improper', the fact that the coach instructed a track relay team to lose a state qualifying race was sustained. The hearing officer directed that the teacher/coach be allowed to return to her job in 2005/06. My only question is this: what if the teacher had been male instead of female? I'm not saying the hearing officer would have ruled differently, but I am suggesting that the local community would be in an uproar.