
(IntegrityTimes.com) – On Monday June 10, after thorough investigation charges were dismissed against the California school teacher who drove to school and then taught her second-grade class while intoxicated. Wendy Munson, the 57-year-old elementary school teacher, was arrested on Monday October 2, 2023, at Nuestro Elementary in Live Oak, California.
An extensive investigation into the incident has concluded with the Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupre’s office announcing that there will be no charges filed against Munson.
On that Monday in early October, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a staff member at the school who was concerned that Munson might have driven to work under the influence. Officers found Munson teaching her class and visibly intoxicated when they arrived. A blood alcohol test revealed her to be at twice the legal limit. She was arrested under suspicion of having driven to work while intoxicated.
The investigation was unable to find evidence that Munson was drunk before she drove to work. In their public statement about the unusual incident the District Attorney’s office agreed that teaching while intoxicated is inappropriate. However, as the District Attorney Dupre pointed out, it is “not illegal to teach drunk”. There was some discussion of charging Munson with child endangerment but ultimately there was no evidence to indicate that her students were ever in any danger.
Munson’s arrest was not witnessed by her young students and afterwards she was replaced with a long-term substitute. Like other K-12 schools, Nuestro Elementary is a drug- and alcohol-free zone, and that is indicated in their staff handbook. The rules also indicate that violations could result in termination. It is unclear what the arrest and subsequent dismissal of charges could mean for Munson’s teaching career. The Commission on Teaching Credentialing suggests that these sorts of incidents could result in someone losing their teaching credentials but that it is handled on a case-by-case basis.
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