Arizona math teacher arrives drunk to class and keeps drinking: Police

spaminator

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Arizona math teacher arrives drunk to class and keeps drinking: Police
'Learning math can be hard enough'
REUTERS
First posted: Thursday, August 14, 2014 05:27 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, August 14, 2014 07:22 PM EDT
PHOENIX – An Arizona math teacher arrived drunk at her high school and hit the bottle again in the classroom, where she yelled at her students before one of the pupils alerted administrators, authorities said on Thursday.
Kathleen Jardine, 57, a teacher at Poston Butte High School faces one count of public consumption of alcohol stemming from the incident on Wednesday in the community about 35 miles southeast of Phoenix, said Sergeant Pat Ramirez, a spokesman for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.
Ramirez said a student called the main office to alert them that Jardine appeared drunk and was yelling at the students.
An on-site sheriff's deputy responded and he could tell she was "extremely intoxicated," police said.
Later, a school security officer found in her classroom a half bottle of vodka, an empty single-serving bottle of white wine and a half-empty bottle of an orange drink, police added.
The teacher eventually admitted that she had been drinking the night before, that morning and during lunch in her classroom, police said.
Jardine's blood-alcohol level was .205 percent when tested, which would be considered so-called "super extreme" if she were to drive under the influence of that much alcohol, police said.
She also acknowledged taking a taxi to the school and said it was because she felt too drunk to drive, police said.
But Jardine may not have had a choice about whether to drive. Her car was impounded on Tuesday in the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert where she was cited and released for driving under the influence, said Gilbert police spokesman Sergeant Jesse Sanger.
Jardine could not immediately be reached for comment.
"Learning math can be hard enough, I can't imagine trying to learn it from a drunk teacher," said Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu in a statement.
This is not the first time Jardine was drunk in the classroom, as she was fired for such behaviour while teaching in New Mexico in 2011, Babeu said.
In addition to the public consumption of alcohol charge, Jardine also could face a charge of disorderly conduct stemming from the incident, Ramirez said.
Officials from the Florence Unified School District, which runs the Poston Butte High School, in a statement declined to release further details about the teacher or the incident.
Arizona math teacher arrives drunk to class and keeps drinking: Police | WORLD |
 

taxslave

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School bus driver was driving erratically and several students phoned parents and police. WHen they finally stopped the bus the driver blew well over the limit and was of course charged with impaired driving.
In court the judge asked him what on earth ever possessed him to drive a school bus drunk. Driver looked at the judge and asked" Your honor have you ever driven a school bus?"
 

MHz

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I wonder if he gets a bigger pension for being fired because of an addiction inspired by what went on at work? ) rather than the addiction came from being the bootlegger for the whole class and now 3 students are with child) Who wouldn't drink?
 

taxslave

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I wonder if he gets a bigger pension for being fired because of an addiction inspired by what went on at work? ) rather than the addiction came from being the bootlegger for the whole class and now 3 students are with child) Who wouldn't drink?

I don't think government employees can be fired for addictions. Have to be sent to rehab a few times first.
 

Zipperfish

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Where did you get that idea?

With the feds it's considered a medical issue, not a disciplinary one. It's not that you "can't get fired." You can, and people often are. But not before giving the employee the opportunity to kick the habit.
 

petros

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Are you sure about all this or heard it through rumour mill. If an employer doesn't want you you're toast. Unions don't hire and fire people. If you're under contract and have an addiction issue, you'll get the most miserable job possible and a cut in pay that reflects the jobs skill until you're contract runs out.
 

Zipperfish

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Are you sure about all this or heard it through rumour mill. If an employer doesn't want you you're toast. Unions don't hire and fire people. If you're under contract and have an addiction issue, you'll get the most miserable job possible and a cut in pay that reflects the jobs skill until you're contract runs out.

Oh yeah, I'm sure. I went down that road a couple of times myself (as a supervisor, not an addict). From the Employer's point of view you want a highly trained worker back doing their job, and you provide the resources necessary to do that. If it doesn't work, then they are let go becasue they are not medically fit to do the job.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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Oh yeah, I'm sure. I went down that road a couple of times myself (as a supervisor, not an addict). From the Employer's point of view you want a highly trained worker back doing their job, and you provide the resources necessary to do that. If it doesn't work, then they are let go becasue they are not medically fit to do the job.

It's expensive to recruit and retrain and an employers isn't obligated if you're position requires safety or you are responsible for minors, you aren't getting your job back. You'll be busted down to janitor getting one day a week to meet contract obligations. Unions don't force employers into taking anyone. What is thought to be between unions and employer is really a contract between employee and employer. It's commonplace in non-union and union jobs