Teacher Says She Has Cancer to Skip School

Found this little gem from the Huffington Post about a Pennsylvania Teacher who was scamming her school by saying she had cancer to take time off.

Police believe Middletown educator Leslie Herneisey, 51, lied about tumors and cancer for more than a decade so she could skip work.

Herneisey began accruing sick leave by allegedly claiming she had a brain tumor, then asked for eight weeks off while she supposedly underwent chemotherapy for an inoperable form of brain cancer.

This is classic - Wait for it...Wait for it...

The three-time nominee for Pennsylvania's teacher of the year resigned in May and was arrested last week, charged with 12 felony counts of forgery.

I hope you caught that.  She was a three-time nominee for Pennsylvania's teacher of the year. First:  How could she get nominated if she was missing all those days of work?
 
Second:  Was she nominated because she continued to work while other believed she had cancer, thus playing the pity/sympathy/strength card?