SAN DIEGO -- The Poway Unified School District voted unanimously Monday night to demote a Rancho Bernardo High School assistant principal to a teaching position, because of a thong check she conducted at a school dance.

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Parent Speaks Out About Thong Check SOUND OFF Was Rita Wilson Right Or Wrong?

Rita Wilson, who had girls lift their skirts to make sure they were not wearing thong underwear at a April 26 dance, was re-assigned to a "certificated non-administrative position" on a 5-0 vote.

The school board heard about an hour of public comment, then discussed the matter in private for more than 90 minutes before announcing the decision.

At issue, in part, was the latest form of dancing, known as "freak dancing."

Wilson, who has said that she simply wanted to make sure girls' bottoms were covered, did not address the board in open session. She was accompanied by her husband, Robert.

Before the closed session, Wilson's attorney, Mike Vivoli, said that he would put on an "active defense" of Wilson's action. After the decision to demote his client, Vivoli declined comment.

Of the 19 people who addressed the school board, 11 spoke in support of Wilson. Only one girl who was at the dance spoke.

Ashley Wydra, a recent graduate, accused Wilson of lying about how many girls were subjected to the thong check. In a newspaper article Sunday, Wilson apparently said that she checked only a few students, but Wydra said it was more like 100.

"I can't believe you just lied to everyone," Wydra said. "How can you live with yourself."

At another point, Wydra walked up to Wilson and told her, "You, stay away from my little sister." Wilson did not acknowledge her.

Wilson's secretary for the past five years, Terri Rogelstad, defended her boss, saying the discipline she meted out was "strict but purposeful."

"She cared that their bottoms would be covered when they went inside and freaked," Rogelstad said. "I would want my daughter to be under her care, without a doubt."

Tim Steigerwald, a special education teacher, suggested that the controversy surrounding the issue was punishment enough for Wilson.

"I can't believe they're talking about whether she should be around children or not," he said. "That's preposterous."

Donald Phillips, the superintendent of the 34,000-student school district, announced that a task force of parents, students and staff would be formed to address etiquette at school dances.

Sebastian Partovi, a 1992 Rancho Bernardo graduate who volunteers with the school's foundation, handed his diploma to school board President Penny Ranftle, saying that if Wilson wasn't demoted, he didn't want the diploma.

"There will always be lewd dancing and lewd clothes," he said.

Gail Stech, a Rancho Bernardo parent, said Wilson just couldn't admit that what she did was out-of-line.

"She couldn't find it in her heart to apologize to these kids. She has to admit to herself she did something wrong," she said.

Wilson, an assistant principal since 1997, has been on administrative leave since May 1.

A school district's report on the controversy stated that Wilson "used extremely poor judgment by enforcing the RBHS handbook's Dress Code ... in a manner that went far beyond the grounds of propriety."

School counselor Natalie Johnson also "used poor judgment and acted in similar inappropriate ways by questioning and inspecting students," according to the report.