Milwaukee, Wisconsin- An arbitration panel today reinstated Cedarburg High School science teacher Robert Zellner, who was fired by the school district after it discovered he had viewed pornographic material on his school computer.

School Board President John Pendergast said the arbitrator determined that the firing was improper because the school district had only reprimanded another teacher who had viewed stock quotes from a school computer.The three-arbitrator panel’s written decision was not immediately available.

“Obviously we vehemently disagree” with the comparison to the stock quotes case, but the district will “work towards” bringing Zellner back onto the staff, Pendergast said.

Zellner could not be immediately reached for comment.

The School Board fired Zellner Jan. 17 after determining that he viewed pornography on a school computer for one minute and six seconds on Nov. 6, a Sunday. The school district later determined that Zellner had viewed pornographic Web sites from his school computer at least seven times since 2003 and had 1,500 pornographic images on the computer’s hard drive.

Zellner disputed some of the school district’s findings and argued that being fired was too strong of a punishment for whatever violations of school policy he may have committed.

His attorney, Jina Jonen said the arbitration panel determined Zellner viewed pornographic images on only one occasion and is not a threat to students. The panelists also determined that the one violation was not enough for him to be fired, she said.

There’s no reason for him not to be in the classroom,” she added.