LaFayette, GEORGIA

Three school employees, one a councilman, arrested at football game.

October 27, 2008 - Three men, one of them a councilman, were arrested Friday night at a football game.

Three employees of LaFayette High School, including a LaFayette, Ga., councilman, and a fourth man were arrested at Southeast Whitfield High School on Friday night for possession of alcoholic beverages on school grounds, according to Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood.

Whitfield officials said Michael Dunfee, Norman Hodge, James Neal and another unnamed man were booked on possession of alcoholic beverages on school grounds.

. Dunfee is the baseball coach at LaFayette. Hodge is an assistant coach at the school and is also a member of the LaFayette City Council. Mr. Neal’s position at the school is not known.

All took breath tests before their arrests. Reportedly, all three were back at school today. The unnamed man was Benjamin Neal.

One parent wasn't happy.

Glenda Edwards son is a senior who used to play football for the Ramblers. Edwards said, "I was shocked because I actually grew up and went to school with Norm Hodge."

We aksed her if she spoke to her son about the arrests. She said, "I didn't really discuss it too much because there is so many teachers and coaches and things that get away with things in schools now. They're so protected by the state now the parents don't have any options."

Mug shots here.

October 27 - From The Daily Citizen:

Three LaFayette High School coaches who were arrested for possession of alcoholic beverages on school grounds at Southeast High School Friday night were asked to leave the press box during the football game between LaFayette and Southeast before deputies arrived, a sheriff’s office report said.

Another man was also arrested. The men were asked to “watch their language” by a Southeast teacher and were being loud, according to the report. Jason Carter, assistant principal at Southeast, called deputies to the press box and said “he could smell the strong odor of what he believed to be alcoholic beverages,” the report said.

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TT - Nice role models. It was probably a lark, but irresponsible and stupid.
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Walker County Messenger (October 29) - “Possession” is a relative term in alcohol case"
It's relative and may be decided by a judge. (or the prosecutor.)
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TT - The Professional Standards Committee does not list disciplinary actions. They do, however, have their meeting minutes online. Like many Canadian provinces, they list case numbers, not names. Even the names of those whose licenses have been revoked for criminal activity.

In September 2008, they reviewed 55 probable cause cases. Minutes
There were 9 licenses revoked for Abuse of Students. No names.

Compare this lack of transparency and accountability to how some other states see their responsibilities to taxpayers at their websites.
Pennyslvania
South Carolina
Florida
Vermont
Utah
Georgia, unlike most states, doesn't even have their State Board of Education meeting minutes online.
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October 30 - "Arrested Lafayette Coaches Back at School"

Lockport, NEW YORK

Jan 12, 2008 - Marcy L. Cole, 35, a Roy B. Kelly Elementary School teacher, was arrested and charged her with felony driving while intoxicated, as well as aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Her license was revoked in October following a DWI arrest in April.

A parent of a pupil in Cole’s classroom said her daughter came home from school on Tuesday and said Cole appeared intoxicated earlier in the day and swore at a pupil before being escorted out of the school.

Lockport School Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone would not address what happened in school on Tuesday. She told The Buffalo News she was unable to discuss personnel matters or health-related issues involving a particular teacher.

Carbone also said she was unaware of Cole’s October conviction and said the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to state law, does not have to inform them of convictions involving employees.

Jan 14 - Cole is no longer in the classroom after a third arrest for driving while intoxicated. This past Thursday, Cole was pulled over on Day Road in the Town of Lockport and charged with felony DWI.

Jan 16 - Lockport School Terry Carbone, Superintendent, 'I knew of a, a..an arrest in April." He says when they learned of her arrest in April, the district laundched an investigation and Cole didn't finish out the "07" school year but she returned last fall. They've decided she won't be finishing off this school year either. Right now Cole is on paid leave.

Feb 6 - Cole appeared Tuesday in court to face charges stemming from her third DWI arrest in one year. CShe was pulled over Jan. 10 on Day Road and charged with felony DWI.She also has a case pending in Royalton in connection with an October traffic stop on Gasport Road.

In November, Cole pleaded guilty in Lockport Town Court to misdemeanor DWI and was sentenced to pay a $500 fine in connection with an April 18 arrest on Beattie Avenue.

GRAND JURY POSSIBLE March 13 - A court appearance was adjourned and the case may be sent to a grand jury. A Royalton Town Court clerk said Thursday the case was expected to be sent to a Niagara County grand jury. Her attorney said that "was not necessarily" the case.

Cole is also scheduled for a court appearance April 1 in Lockport Town Court, in connection with the Jan. 10 arrest. That too, according to her attorney, might be adjourned.

COURT CASE ADJOURNED in Lockport April 1 - Cole was scheduled to appear in Lockport Town Court on a felony DWI charge, but her attorney, Thomas Scirto, said the appearance would be adjourned.

Scirto said this is “probably the last time” the case would be adjourned in Lockport Town Court, though he declined to say what he expects will happen next in the case.

“We have a number of things we’re trying to work out,” he said. “A lot of it is dependent upon what we might be able to work out with the district attorney’s office.”

CASE ADJOURNED in Royalton April 11 - Scheduled for an appearance in Royalton Town Court, her attorney, Thomas Scirto, said the appearance was adjourned.

ARRESTED (AGAIN) June 18 - Cole was arrested for fourth time for DWI in 14 months. She was charged this time with felony driving while intoxicated, first-degree felony aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, criminal impersonation and other vehicle and traffic infractions.

About the time of her DWI arrest in January, Cole was suspended for the remainder of the school year following several complaints from parents about alleged inappropriate conduct in the classroom, including showing up intoxicated at school. She remains suspended with pay.

The criminal impersonation is because she gave a false name to the officer, mispelling it several times. She attempted to drive away and there was a struggle to get her out of the car.

In court, she pleaded not guilty and denied that she refused to take a breathalyzer test. She refused to acknowledge that she had been read her Miranda rights, instead saying repeatedly, “I don’t care.”

See the video report at KIVB-TV.

SEPARATION AGREEMENT June 18 - The district Board of Education officially accepted Marcy L. Cole’s resignation at Wednesday night’s meeting.

“The district and Ms. Cole have determined that they wish to resolve her status by agreement,” Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone said. “It allows the district to avoid lengthy and costly proceedings under the New York state education law which would have been required by Cole, given her status as a tenured teacher.”

There is a term of separation agreement, the details of which could not be released because it is a personnel matter, Carbone said. The resignation is effective July 1.

On GRAND JURY calendar - June 20 -Her attorney said that the case, along with the Town of Lockport case, will be sent to Niagara County grand jury on July 1. The attorney waived a felony hearing in Royalton Town Court for the charges stemming from Cole’s most recent arrest Monday.

GUILTY PLEA September 3 - Cole pleaded guilty to two felony charges of driving while intoxicated. Cole pleaded guilty to two felony counts of DWI in connection with her arrests on Oct. 7, 2007, and Jan. 10, 2008. She already had a previous DWI conviction, after pleading guilty in October to misdemeanor DWI in connection with an April 18, 2007, traffic stop in the Town of Lockport. She was arrested a fourth time in June on charges of DWI in the Town of Royalton.

She had been out on $10,000 bail, but her bail was revoked Sept. 12 after probation officers reported she tested positive for alcohol twice. Cole is now in custody at the Niagara County Jail.

She will be sentenced November 6.

Culpeper, VIRGINIA

Speaking of role models...

July 23, 2008 - Nicholas Hanzivasilis, 23, an Eastern View High School math teacher and varsity cheerleading coach pleaded guilty in Culpeper County General District Court last week to driving under the influence of alcohol.

The judge sentenced Hanzivasilis to 30 days in jail but suspended the entire jail term. His driver’s license was also suspended for a year with restrictions. (He can drive to and from work.)
Full Name: Nicholas Andrew Hanzivasilis

From the same article:

This is not the first time a Culpeper County Public School teacher has faced a drug- or alcohol-related charge within the past year.

A Warrenton judge sentenced former CCPS teacher Frank “Chip” Rea to a three-month jail term in January for felony drug charges stemming from his arrest June 2007. Rea was a physical education and football coach at CCHS for one year.

TT entry [The actual sentence was five years with all suspended except three months on the marijuana charge and 100 hours on the cocaine charge. He is also serving six months of supervised probation on separate assault charges against two women for incidents that happened this summer.]

Michele Auville, a former first-grade teacher at Emerald Hill Elementary School, will face a grand jury in August for a felony charge of a controlled substance.

On May 31, Auville was riding on the passenger side of her Toyota when a deputy stopped the vehicle for “going very slowly and swinging from side to side,” on Madison Road around 5:15 a.m. Auville submitted her resignation to the School Board the next day. TT entry

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For a time, the Culpeper County School Board considered a random drug test policy. Entry

St. Petersburg, FLORIDA

Role Model #459

July 23, 2008 - Ruth Gerding, 31, a first-grade teacher at St. Jude Cathedral School, was found guilty of DUI, a misdemeanor, and sentenced to a year in the Manatee County jail after a jury acquitted her of DUI manslaughter. They found her not responsible for the death of a motorcyclist in a fatal collision last year.

Gerding's blood-alcohol level was measured at .230 -- nearly three times the limit at which Florida drivers are considered intoxicated at the time of the accident. The motorcyclist was also drunk.

Gerding, who has a prior 2001 DUI conviction in Pinellas County and a history of speeding tickets, showed no emotion when the verdict was announced. Before Circuit Judge Debra Riva announced her sentence, she turned around and cracked a quick smile at friends and family members sitting in the courtroom gallery.

Her attorney said the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg told her that if she was convicted of a misdemeanor, she could keep her job at St. Jude, where she also coaches volleyball.

Keel told the judge that his client has not drank alcohol or driven a vehicle since the day of the fatal crash.

Full Name: Ruth Patricia Gerding

Newport Beach, CALIFORNIA

The arrest is only part of the story.

June 16, 2008 - Matthew Johnson, 36, a composition literature and journalism teacher at Newport Harbor High School, was arrested for being drunk in public.

Workers at the restaurant asked him to leave for "being belligerent and using profanities," said Lt. Craig Fox of the Newport Beach Police Department. The workers flagged down a police officer in the parking lot.

"The officer observed the subject yelling profanities and trying to get into a confrontation with some people," Fox said, adding that Johnson was seen staggering and with slurred speech.
Full Name: Matthew Todd Johnson

THE KICKER: Laura Boss, the spokeswoman for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, said Johnson was not legally required to notify the district because he was arrested outside of work.

Irvine, CALIFORNIA

She had a blood alcohol concentration that was twice the legal limit, the Orange County District Attorney's office said.

June 13, 2008 - Nancy Bower, 41, principal of Westwood Basics Plus Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave after being arrested for drunk driving.

She is being charged with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. She was arrested May 31 following a car accident when she rear-ended a Hyundai. There were no injuries in the accident, but police interviewed her and gave her coordination tests.

She will be arraigned June 30.
Full Name: Nancy Jean Bower

TT - Why we cover drunk driving arrests of educators. (See under Categories)

RESIGNATION July 25 - Bower has resigned from her position as principal effective Tuesday, July 22. She is still expected to return next school year in a teaching position, district spokesman Ian Hanigan said, but the exact school and grade level have yet to be determined.

Arraignment was scheduled for Thursday but was delayed until Aug. 20.

Ocala, FLORIDA

June 5, 2008 - Shannon Vianello, 38, a remedial elementary reading teacher, was found guilty of driving under the influence. She was sentenced to one year of probation, ordered her to perform 80 hours of community service, serve 30 days on the Sheriff's Office work gang and ordered that she must not possess or consume alcohol or drugs. Her driver's license was suspended for a year.

She was arrested March 11 while driving from one assigned school to another. Three officers went to the school because several people called 911 saying someone was driving erratically, and the tires on the right side were flat. She told police she was a diabetic. A parametic checked her blood sugar and told the officer that her blood sugar was fine.

At the jail, she blew a 0.277 and a 0.266. The legal limit is 0.08.

FIRING RECOMMENDED June 6 - Marion County Public Schools has recommended that Vianello be fired.

"At this point we are planning to terminate her now that the conviction has been handed down," he said Thursday afternoon. "The district came to that decision based on the fact that she drank on the clock."

Following the arrest almost three months ago, Vianello was never suspended from her position.

RESIGNED June 9 - Vianello resigned, citing personal reasons. The resignation came on Friday, the day after school officials announced they would recommend dismissal.

Such a conviction does not mean she will automatically lose her teaching certificate. It depends on the circumstances, according to the state Department of Education. State officials also could put her on a probation plan, DOE said.

Springdale, ARKANSAS

Middle school teacher intoxicated in classroom.

June 5, 2008 - Janice Dodson, 59, a teacher at J.O. Kelly Middle School, was arrested for public intoxication after other teachers complained of smelling alcohol on her breath.

Dodson reportedly had been in her classroom with students present. She was visibly upset, according to the police report, while telling her students about a pending surgery.

She later told police she had been drinking wine since the previous evening, and continued drinking wine until 5 a.m., according to the report. She registered a .192 on a field breath test, the report states. The legal limit in Arkansas is .08.She also told police she was taking prescription drugs, according to the report.

She is the second teacher to be arrested last month inside a Springdale school. Patricia Miller was arrested for driving under the influence at Young Elementary School in early May after failing two field sobriety tests in her classroom. The charge stemmed from driving herself to the school.

Seabrook, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Arrested again, sentenced to jail again.

July 9, 2007 - Holly Spreen, 34, a special education teacher, was arrested for breach of bail and child endangerment. She was arrested after dropping and dragging her two-year-old son aboard a harbor cruise ship.

Her blood alcohol level was .49, six times the legal limit. Witnesses who saw her drop and drag the child reported their concerns to ship management who notified police.

Public record shows Spreen was arrested in Portsmouth on Dec. 18, 2005 for domestic assault and obstruction of the report of a crime. She was also charged with simple assault by Portsmouth Police on June 29, 2007.

Trial is set for August 14.

July 21 - Long, largely unsympathetic, article on Spreen's history of alcoholism which sparked this comment from a poster:

If the father in this case were the one drinking he would have lost all rights to see the kid by now. Instead, "Marital Master Harriet Fishman" chose to leave this child in harms way over and over again. How about someone do something about getting this "Marital Master" out of her position of responsiblility and authority and into one where her sexist views can't hurt an innocent child. Fire her outright is my position, but I know the bleeding hearts would never allow such a harsh action....

TT - What we wonder is, with all the frequent arrests and court appearances and hospitalizations, why a school district would not fire her outright? She's a special education teacher who works with the most vulnerable children.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING Nov 5 - Spreen pleaded guilty to charges of reckless conduct and simple assault. In exchange for those pleas, Spreen was sentenced to two years in jail, with all but 30 days suspended pending two years of good behavior. She'll serve her sentence during summer vacation.

She told the judge she would be returning to school Nov 14.

Portsmouth Family Court records show Spreen’s former husband warned the court that he feared for their son’s safety “due to her alcoholism” as far back as February 2005, when the child was 3 months old. Just 13 days before her arrest, he warned the court she had been drunk in a car with their son before a police officer intervened.

Also documented in the family court is Spreen’s voluntary and involuntary alcohol treatment, hidden liquor bottles, hospitalization and court-ordered Breathalyzer tests related to visitation with her son, some taken on the job at the Seabrook school.
After her arrest, Spreen lost all custody of her son. That order is temporary.

The judge noted a letter of proof of Spreen’s enrollment in a Florida rehab program described her “prognosis” as “only fair.”

Jan 17, 2008 - Spreen is limited to visits with her son to one hour a week. She is on administrative leave for an indefinite period, following two months of time off under the Family Medical Leave Act.

Prosecutor Corey MacDonald told the Herald that Spreen’s deferred jail sentence will not likely be altered, in spite of her no longer working a school schedule. He agreed to it, he said, in an effort to assist Spreen with keeping her teaching job and therefore maintaining sobriety.

TT - Those lucky kids.

SENTENCED (AGAIN) April 1 - Spreen sentenced to 27 days in jail after a probation officer reported her Easter Sunday arrest for driving while intoxicated. She was arrested on March 23, when her blood alcohol content was recorded at .33 and she told an officer she drank a bottle of wine "throughout the day." At the time of her arrest, Spreen, a former Seabrook elementary school teacher, was court-ordered to abstain from all use of alcohol and to remain arrest-free. A hearing to review the case is scheduled for April 8

She since lost her Seabrook teaching job.

SENTENCED TO JAIL April 8 - Spreen was sentenced to 1 year in jail for violating her probation by getting arrested Easter Sunday for driving while intoxicated. She was also ordered to report to a probation officer for two years after her release. A one-year sentence for assaulting her husband was deferred for one year.

"The full 12 months is now imposed," Judge Sawako Gardner told Spreen after accepting the agreement.

Noting a condition of the deal gives Spreen the right to petition the court for time served after her completion of a jailhouse treatment program, the judge warned her that will be at the discretion of the court.

"I can tell you it is not a guarantee," said Gardner.

April 16 - Spreen wrote a letter to two judges, expressing regret and asking for admission into a jail recovery program for women, with the option of petitioning the court for a reduced sentence upon completion of the program. During an April 4 sentencing hearing, the judge approved the jailhouse program, but warned Spreen there is no guarantee she will see a reduced sentence.

She has lost her teaching job.

Evansville, INDIANA

March 29, 2008 - Jennifer Schwitz, 25, a teacher at Dexter Elementary School, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash.

Indiana State Police said she drove off the roadway, crossed both northbound lanes and hit a utility pole and highway sign. Troopers say she left the scene of the accident and almost hit a trooper while turning onto Riverside Drive

Englishtown, NEW JERSEY

A substitute teacher has admitted to drinking alcohol from a travel coffee mug during class, scaring a room full of fourth-grade students at a Manalapan elementary school with her "bizarre" behavior, authorities said today.

Feb 27, 2008 - Mary Kaminski, 54, a substitute teacher at Pine Brook Elementary School, pleaded guilty Monday to endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities learned of Kaminski's behavior from students who "became scared and concerned" as she taught the class in December, and later told the principal.

Kaminski brought the alcohol into the classroom in a travel coffee mug. She admitted she was intoxicated in the classroom, and "put the children at risk of harm by her actions," Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said in a statement.

In exchange for her plea, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office is recommending she be sentenced to serve probation and forfeit her teaching certification. She will be sentenced May 23.
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POINT OF LAW: Under New Jersey law a defendant who has not been previously convicted of a crime and who is being sentenced for the third-degree crime of endangering the welfare of a child is entitled to a statutory presumption that a probationary sentence be imposed. Source
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Port St. Lucie, FLORIDA

Feb 17, 2008 - Michael K. Kutner, 48, was arrested Sunday for felony driving under the influence after police said a check of his driver's license revealed he had been charged with driving under the influence four times in the past.

He lists his occupation as a teacher, but no details available. Police said a check of Kutner's driver's license showed he had been cited for driving under the influence twice in 1994, once in 2002, once in 2003, as well as for a refusal to submit to a breathalyzer in 2003.
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He is not shown in Certification lookup.

Myfloridateacher.com shows 12/01/06 Settlement Agreement and Suspension: July 1, 2003 through December 31, 2006 Two years Probation $1000.00 Fine
See Final Order Pg 9 for complaint.

Charleston, SOUTH CAROLINA

Feb 14, 2008 - Glenn Strickland, 55, a West Ashley High School teacher, was arrested for drunken driving for the third time. His arrest came after he struck two cars, a police cruiser and then crashed into a utility pole.

Strickland was convicted of DUI in 2000 and 2003. He is on paid leave.
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According to the school web site, Strickland teaches Biology, Environmental Science, and Life Skills. No course or class description for Life Skills.

Wapato, WASHINGTON

Again???!!!

Feb 8, 2008 - Teacher unnamed.

A local elementary teacher on paid-leave for coming to school drunk was pulled over by police and given a ticket for driving with a suspended license nearly two weeks ago.

Police stopped the first grade Camas Elementary teacher near Grandview and is being charged with second degree driving with a suspended license, which under law, could be taken away for more than a year.

The teacher is currently on probation for a hit and run, DUI and reckless endangerment charges from the winter of 2006. There is also a charge of leaving kids in a car to drink at a bar.

The Wapato school district put the educator on leave last year for allegedly coming to school drunk and leaving parents and other teachers to take care of students during a field trip.

TT - The teacher wasn't named in December either when she was arrested. (Third time in a year.) Despite being asked to, the state superintendent's office never investigated because - and this is priceless - the alleged behavior happened during summer break and it didn't affect students or the district.

That was before her arrest for leaving her own child in a car while she went into a bar. She was suspended for leaving a group of children alone during a field trip while she vomited in the field and then passed out on a school bus.

Brooksville, FLORIDA

Nov 13, 2007 - Jesse Mockler, 30, a teacher at Powell Middle School, was arrested after a traffic stop and charged with with trafficking in drugs, DUI and possession of a drug without a prescription.

Superintendent Wayne Alexander said there is no automatic dismissal for a teacher arrested for a first-degree felony. “All policies have gray shades,” he said.

Mockler was stopped for driving under the influence.

Deputies patted down his pockets as they arrested him on suspicion of DUI and said they found 12 white pills in Mockler’s pockets. These were identified as the painkiller Roxicet, a combination of Tylenol and Oxycodone. A deputy said he also found three muscle relaxant pills called Flexeril in Mockler’s car. Both drugs require a prescription.

Authorities classify drugs on a tier system, with schedule I drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana, considered the most dangerous. Roxicet is labeled a Schedule II drug, meaning there is a high chance for abuse and addiction.

Florida law considers not just quantity but weight when defining criminal charges associated with pills. State statute states any quantity of Oxyco-done between 4 and 14 grams is considered trafficking in drugs — a first-degree felony. Deputies said Mockler had 6.7 grams on his person.

Nov 14 - Teacher out of classroom as DUI, drug charges loom

SENTENCED Jan 25, 2008 - Mockler pleaded guilty to reduced charges. In the plea bargain, he was given pretrial intervention for the first count, possession of Oxycodone, essentially wiping it off his record. The second drug charge was dropped.The DUI charge was changed to reckless driving, for which he'll serve six months probation and perform 50 hours of community service.

His attorney says Mockler will be back in front of a blackboard next week a three-month suspension without pay.

Mount Olivet, KENTUCKY

Jan 22, 2008 - It's the second arrest for Nicole L. Silvey, 27, a Mount Olivet City Council member and Bracken County school teacher. She was arrested Saturday and charged with DUI and being in possession of an open alcohol container in a vehicle after an accident where she failed to negotiate a curve and struck a garage.

In May 2007, she engaged in a high speed chase with police that ended with an arrest when they found her in a private driveway with the car lights off. Last month, she was sentenced (sorta) on reduced charges of second-degree wanton endangerment, to 90 days in jail, to serve seven days with credit for time served; the balance was conditionally discharged after two years.

On the charge of fleeing or evading police, she also received a sentence of 90 days, served consecutive with the endangerment charge, to serve seven days with credit for time served and the balance conditionally discharged.

She was elected City Council in 2006. She had been a half-day social studies teacher but the class was discontinued. Arraignment was postponed until Feb. 12.

Schoolteacher jailed following high speed chase (May 7, 2007)

San Antonio, TEXAS

Jan 14, 2008 - Valerie Hernandez, 35, who identified herself as a teacher, was arrested and charged with drunk driving when she hit a pedestrian. The 26-year-old man died of his injuries.

According to WOAI News, Hernandez was also arrested for driving while intoxicated in 2006. Court records show a judge ordered Hernandez to serve 8 months probation on that drunk driving conviction.

News 4 checked with the Texas Department of Education. A spokeswoman said she could not confirm which school district employs Hernandez as a teacher.

If you know where Hernandez works, e-mail us at troubleshooters@woai.com.

Photo is booking photo from 2006 arrest.

Brazil, INDIANA

Middle schoolers in Brazil, Indiana, will have bragging rights on Monday.

Jan 13, 2008 - Two women were arrested after an early evening vehicle accident. A 2003 Jeep Liberty was in a ditch, standing nearly vertical with its front end up in the air. The driver registered 0.12 blood alcohol content. Police found marijuana on her.

The driver, Melinda Ellis, 35, a White River teacher, faces four misdemeanor charges, including possesion of marijuana, paraphernalia, operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content over 0.08 and operating while intoxicated while endangering another person.

The passenger, Anita Miller, 41, a physical education teacher at North Clay Middle School, was arrested on charges of public intoxication, public nudity, and disorderly conduct. Miller's blood alcohol content registered 0.17. Officers say at one point she stumbled out into the roadway, dropped her pants to her ankles and began to urinate on the ground.

At the jail, Miller's "raucous behavior continued." While in book-in, she dropped her pants again, exposing herself to the jail staff. Officers put her in a padded cell.

Jan 13 - Miller spoke to New 10 herself and said that she thought the whole thing was blown out of proportion and claims she was not a passenger in the car even though she was at the scene.

Jan 18 - The school board met briefly to discuss what immediate steps to take. They voted to continue Miller's suspension with pay. School administration will be conducting an investigation into Miller's actions after which, the board will then decide whether or not to terminate Miller's contract.

White River Valley School District will meet next week to discuss the future of Melinda Ellis.
Both teachers will be in court Feb 11. Ellis resigned from her job, according to INDY6.

Mar 4 - Clay Community School Board will conduct a special meeting at 7 tonight to decide whether to cancel Miller's contract.

VOTE TO CANCEL MILLER'S CONTRACT Mar 5 - Members of the School Board of Clay Community Schools accepted Superintendent Dan Schroeder’s recommendation and unanimously voted to cancel Anita Miller’s contract. Two of the seven board members weren’t present.The board had no questions or discussion about the issue before the vote. The meeting lasted about two minutes. Her attorney said they are likely to appeal by seeking judicial review of the case.

Miller’s case is set for trial June 13.

LAWSUIT September 1 - Miller is suing to get her job back. She is petitioning the Clay County Civil Court for a judicial review of her March dismissal.

Court documents state the school board concluded from the testimony given at the February hearing that Miller's actions "offended the morals of the community and set a very bad example to the students of Clay Community Schools."

She is scheduled to appear for a jury trial set Dec. 15 on the criminal charges.

Fishers, INDIANA

Jan - He hasn't been charged but he might plead guilty. Yeah. We wondered, too.
March - He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to - four hours in jail.

They are so brutal in Indiana.

Jan 2, 2008 - Fishers High School Principal Scott Syverson was stopped Dec 22nd for drunk driving. He admitted he had five beers. He tested over twice the legal limit on a portable breath test. He failed other tests as well.

However, they did not arrest him. In a videotape of the stop, Syverson called the officer's boss during the stop and handed his phone to the cop. On the tape the officer says "I know everybody makes mistakes but I'm not very happy about this right now." Syverson also told the officer "You put me in a bad spot here." [You can see the video of the traffic stop online at the news story or YouTube.]

Reportedly, Syverson is considering entering a guilty plea. The Hamilton Southeastern School Board will be meeting in special executive session on Friday to look at the matter and possibly decide on the principal's fate.

TT - In addition, the officer was ordered to take Syverson home and pick up Syverson's wife and drive her back to pick up the car. There's probably a good reason why the board or the court will not act. Read this letter to the Indianapolis Star.

SUSPENDED Jan 5 - The school board suspended him with pay. He will continue to receive his $3,100 paycheck twice a month.

[Thank you, taxpayers. Be sure to read the sidebar to the left to see the rigamarole a school district must go through to fire and educator. With all the appeals, it will probably cost upwards of $190,000 just to fire him, judging by other stories we have seen. In the long run, they won't. It's cheaper to pay him for the rest of his contract. This ensures that he can get another job somewhere else. But we wouldn't count on them doing either. ]

Fishers High School senior class president Mike Dunn said he and other students hope to gather more signatures on a petition of support for Syverson that was part of the board’s review Friday.

[There are 320 comments at the story. Not a lot of them sounded like they would sign Dunn's petition. Our favorite one-liner: "If he is thought to be responsible enough to manage a 2,000 student high school, he should not need a babysitter during his social outings."

To which we might add, hopefully, the same people will remember the episode when it comes time to vote again for their school board members. You get what you vote for.]

Jan 26 - The 15-day limit for suspended Fishers High School principal Scott Syverson to request a hearing to oppose a termination of his contract has passed, and Hamilton Southeastern Schools officials are positioned to vote when they meet Feb. 7.

Syverson resigned his job at Fishers High School Feb. 7 after the Hamilton Southeastern School board stripped him of his duties and placed him on indefinite suspension following the traffic stop incident.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING (Sorta, if you consider 4 hours in jail a sentence.) March 12 - Syverson pleaded guilty Tuesday to operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering a person as part of an agreement with prosecutors. Hamilton Superior Court Judge J. Richard Campbell sentenced him to one year in jail but ordered him to serve most of the sentence on probation.

"The defendant is to report to the Hamilton County Jail on March 11, 2008 at 8 p.m., to be released at 12:01 a.m.,said the written order"

Wapato, WASHINGTON

They urge you to call police if you have information. Only the newspaper doesn't name the suspect.

From Yakima Herald-Republic: Dec 22, 2007 - A Wapato substitute school teacher was arrested after Yakima police said he had sex over the course of a year with one of his 12-year-old students. The charges are suspicion of first- and second-degree child rape.

The 26-year-old suspect met the girl when she was 11 years old at Adams Elementary School and had sex with her on at least five occasions, including once in his classroom. The suspect dated the mother and moved in with them.

ARRESTED KNDO / KNDU Dec 22 - (6:20 pm) The teacher has a name. He is Jesus Barcena, 26. He taught fifth grade at the school for several years. This year he was a substitute teacher.

Dec 24 - The 12-year-old victim told police that her fifth-grade teacher brainwashed her into engaging in sex acts with him in his classroom and at her home for more than a year. She said that Barcenas continued to have sex with her after he began dating her mother and moved in with them.

According to the affidavit, the girl said her teacher gave her $50 for her 11th birthday last year, and that two weeks later they began kissing at school. The girl reported they engaged in sex acts about a half dozen times in Barcenas' classroom during the 2006-2007 school year.

Anyone with information on this case or other related cases is asked to call the Yakima police detectives division at 575-6212.

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ANOTHER UNNAMED TEACHER - From KIMATV29: Dec 14, 2007 -
A first grade teacher at Camas Elementary School was put on paid leave after coming to school drunk. Sources said it was this same teacher who came to school drunk a few months ago and may have struggled with a drinking problem for years.

A judge ordered the educator to stay away from alcohol after police found the teacher's child waiting in a car outside a bar. There's also a charge of DUI and a hit and run and reckless endangerment charges from early this year.
It gets better.

Witnesses reported seeing the teacher vomit on a field trip and then leave first-graders to wander through a corn maze by themselves while the teacher passed out on a school bus.

There's a clue that the district knew something was going on with the teacher because the former superintendent asked the state's superintendent office to investigate the teacher, but the state never did because the alleged behavior happened during summer break, it didn't affect students or the district

Feb 8 - The unnamed drunken teacher was arrested again.