My child’s teacher recently got DUI

[Anonymous]

A DUI is reasonable to report to the principal, especially if you also have some reason to believe the teacher might be drunk or noticeably hung over at work. Not because that teacher must be fired immediately, but because it’s appropriate for supervisors to take a closer look, refer to EAP, assess if this person is ok or in need of help. Reporting that you saw a teacher acting drunk at a concert not in any way affiliated with their job, where others are also drinking and “letting loose” is weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting arrested for something is not the same as getting CONVICTED of it.
Case may be thrown out and u have ruined someone's career and reputation.

She was convicted.

I thought she just got it recently. Those take forever to get to trial!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it’s because I’m in my 40s, but no one I know—doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses etc—are getting “drunk.” The ones I know who do also are struggling with alcoholism. I think there are a few people on here trying to rationalize their own behavior. Getting sloppy drunk or getting a DUI shows majorly bad judgment.

There’s drunk and there’s sloppy drunk. The day after my DH was diagnosed with colon cancer, my BFF came to town, whisked me off to her hotel suite and got me drunk. It was cathartic. I cried. Laughed. Cried again. Laughed some more and then watched the sun rise feeling like I might be strong enough to get through this. Slept until 10:30. Went home able to wife and mother.

I didn’t vomit in public, screw a stranger, DUI, or trash the hotel room. But I was hella drunk.

That is such a weird and unhealthy response. It's nice that your friend came, but really? You had to GET DRUNK? Very peculiar. Not normal, at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A DUI is reasonable to report to the principal, especially if you also have some reason to believe the teacher might be drunk or noticeably hung over at work. Not because that teacher must be fired immediately, but because it’s appropriate for supervisors to take a closer look, refer to EAP, assess if this person is ok or in need of help. Reporting that you saw a teacher acting drunk at a concert not in any way affiliated with their job, where others are also drinking and “letting loose” is weird.

Thank you for this reasonable response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it’s because I’m in my 40s, but no one I know—doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses etc—are getting “drunk.” The ones I know who do also are struggling with alcoholism. I think there are a few people on here trying to rationalize their own behavior. Getting sloppy drunk or getting a DUI shows majorly bad judgment.

There’s drunk and there’s sloppy drunk. The day after my DH was diagnosed with colon cancer, my BFF came to town, whisked me off to her hotel suite and got me drunk. It was cathartic. I cried. Laughed. Cried again. Laughed some more and then watched the sun rise feeling like I might be strong enough to get through this. Slept until 10:30. Went home able to wife and mother.

I didn’t vomit in public, screw a stranger, DUI, or trash the hotel room. But I was hella drunk.

That is such a weird and unhealthy response. It's nice that your friend came, but really? You had to GET DRUNK? Very peculiar. Not normal, at all.

DP. Different people process things in different ways, eh? And your opinion of the way the other PP processed her feelings with her friend is really not relevant to this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting arrested for something is not the same as getting CONVICTED of it.
Case may be thrown out and u have ruined someone's career and reputation.

She was convicted.

I thought she just got it recently. Those take forever to get to trial!

Based on the dates it took two months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting arrested for something is not the same as getting CONVICTED of it.
Case may be thrown out and u have ruined someone's career and reputation.

She was convicted.

I thought she just got it recently. Those take forever to get to trial!

Based on the dates it took two months.

And she’s already served her time? How did you not notice she was missing from school while she was in jail?

[Anonymous]

If the teacher "recently" got a DUI and was convicted, she's not driving kids anywhere because her license is suspended at least 6 mos. I had to show mine to my principal before I was allowed to drive students for a field trip.

Also, she would have served some time most likely and that could be months up to a year for a first offense in MD.

https://dui.drivinglaws.org/maryland.php

Notice OP claims the teacher was convicted of DUI and not a lesser charge.

Is there where OP chimes in and tells that the DUI wasn't in MD, but some other state where your license isn't suspended and you get a jail sentence?

[Anonymous]

Op here and you’re wrong. It is Maryland and she was not sentenced to prison time. If she spent any time in jail, the record doesn’t indicate that. And beyond driving students, my concerns were drinking in class and general horrible judgment. What’s your obsession with calling me a liar? I won’t be back here because I know what I plan to do. Thanks to those who were constructive.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I used an ‘anonymous’ email address toinform the principal of something disturbing at school because my dc didn’t want to be put into the middle/retaliated against. I suggested that they look into it by looking at a particular paper trail that might show evidence. I received a reply saying they couldn’t do an incpvestigation without witnesses named.

It is understandable that they don’t follow anonymous leads, as teenage kids would then do this all the time to make things difficult for teachers they didn’t like. But this is to say that the email option may not work for OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, I used an ‘anonymous’ email address toinform the principal of something disturbing at school because my dc didn’t want to be put into the middle/retaliated against. I suggested that they look into it by looking at a particular paper trail that might show evidence. I received a reply saying they couldn’t do an incpvestigation without witnesses named.

It is understandable that they don’t follow anonymous leads, as teenage kids would then do this all the time to make things difficult for teachers they didn’t like. But this is to say that the email option may not work for OP.

What would work but would protect someone from retaliation?

[Anonymous]

I haven't read this whole crazy thread, but if the teacher was already an employee of the school system when she was arrested, the principal already knows about it. The police have an agreement with the school system and any time an employee is arrested, the school system and principal receive a phone call pretty much immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, I used an ‘anonymous’ email address toinform the principal of something disturbing at school because my dc didn’t want to be put into the middle/retaliated against. I suggested that they look into it by looking at a particular paper trail that might show evidence. I received a reply saying they couldn’t do an incpvestigation without witnesses named.

It is understandable that they don’t follow anonymous leads, as teenage kids would then do this all the time to make things difficult for teachers they didn’t like. But this is to say that the email option may not work for OP.

What would work but would protect someone from retaliation?

PP here. I would still report via the anonymous email if I weren't comfortable doing anything else. Even if they don't investigate, they will have it in mind if they hear something else about the teacher. When I was in a supervisory position if I'd received such information, I wouldn't have launched a full investigation, but I would have informally taken notice/looked at data that would help me assess whether there was an issue that really needed to be looked into... In this case, for instance, I probably would have googled to see about a DUI (that is fact-based and easy) and would pay more attention when I had reason to be in proximity to the teacher. With a more formal complaint, I would probably do more, but with an anonymous complaint, I would do *something* and I hope the principal in this situation would, as well.

[Anonymous]

Curious—would the police department in another county call the school system? That seems pretty idealistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious—would the police department in another county call the school system? That seems pretty idealistic.

No, but usually teacher DUIs make the news. People love to hear about them and comment. If an arrest and a conviction in MD of a MCPS teacher had happened recently, we would have heard about it. OP is lying about that part. Maybe the teacher drinks at school. But she was not recently arrested and convicted of that charge in this state.