Richmond, Virginia- Monacan High School art teacher Stephen Murmer was placed on paid administrative leave recently after school administrators learned of an online video in which he’s demonstrating how he paints with his buttocks.

Murmer operates a Web site showcasing paintings he makes with his rear and genitals. The site, on which he goes by the name Stan Murmur, features his work and the video.

Voice messages left yesterday at an Alabama phone number listed on the site were not returned, and an e-mail to an address on the site brought no response.

This is the second time Murmer has had issues with the school system over his free-time pursuits.

Kent Willis, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, said Murmer had similar issues a few years ago when Chesterfield County school officials found his Web site. Then, Willis said, the issue was resolved, and Murmer remained in the classroom.

“Somehow it’s resurfaced,” he said. This time, however, the issue involves the video, which shows Murmer — his face obscured by Groucho-style glasses and mustache — placing his buttocks on a paint-covered surface and then sitting on a canvas.

His paintings, typically depicting flowers and butterflies, are priced from $480 to $900.

Willis said Murmer is “a well-respected, responsible teacher who does his job.”

“Separate from that, he is an artist, he uses a pseudonym, he even disguises himself when he appears on this video,” he said.

Willis said Chesterfield school officials may have fanned the flames of the issue by suspending Murmer.

“Schools need to respect the rights of teachers to have private lives,” Willis said, as long as what they do doesn’t disrupt their abilities to be a teacher.

Chesterfield County schools spokeswoman Debra Q. Marlow wouldn’t say who found the video. She said she couldn’t talk about the details of the situation or what happened a few years ago because it is a personnel matter.

Marlow said that under the school system’s regulations, teachers are expected to set an example for students through personal conduct.

School Board Chairman Marshall W. Trammell Jr. said he has seen a lot of things during his 15 years on the School Board, “but this is probably the most unique [incident] that I’ve ever seen.”

Trammell said if the board hears the case, it will most likely be next month. He said they’ll be looking to see whether there’s any connection between Murmer’s site and the school system or whether he broke any of the school system’s policies.

One Monacan mother who wished to remain anonymous said she has mixed feelings about Murmer.

He’s a teacher and should be a role model, she said.

But “I want to say he has the liberty to do what he wants” in his free time.