Mark Brunsdale, school principal, said he spoke with Burton in spring of 2006, a year before the allegations arose, after hearing that a teacher was voicing concerns about Burton being alone in a room with a child.

Brunsdale said he told Burton for his own protection to always have two or three students around, to avoid physical contact and establish correct boundaries with pupils. He also described for Burton, who was new to Utah, the "expectations of the community," which meant that in a small, deeply religious city, teachers are always seen as teachers even outside the classroom and must act accordingly.

Questioned by defense attorney Walter Bugden, Brunsdale said the teacher who had spoken up about Burton had wondered aloud whether her perceptions were based on homophobia. "She told me, 'I know there are other things going on and maybe I'm just being homophobic,"' Brunsdale said.

In response to questions by prosecutor Gary Searle, Brunsdale said it is inappropriate for any teacher to have a 9-year-old child sitting on his or her lap, and it is not difficult to fend off hugs from elementary-age children "if you've established those boundaries with your class."

Burton, who is being held in the Tooele County Jail, will be arraigned July 10.

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E-mail: lindat@desnews.com