Story Archive

You Take One Down, and Pass It Around

A parent reported to officials at East Elementary School in Ankeny, Iowa, that a kindergarten teacher had beer in her classroom. Police were summoned, and Jennifer L. Rich, 40, told them that she only had “two beers” at lunch. Officers found two empty beer cans — and four full ones — in her classroom. Rich was arrested for public intoxication; a breath test pegged her blood alcohol level at .145 percent, nearly double the limit for driving. But school officials didn’t notify parents right away because they were “still in the midst of trying to figure out from police exactly what they were planning on doing” regarding criminal charges, said Jenifer Owenson, Ankeny Community School District’s human resources director. Once that was done, Owenson admitted, they still didn’t notify the school board. “We’re just wanting to make sure we have the whole picture before we file a complaint with them, because that would require them to examine her license and perhaps take it away,” she said. “We’re going to give it a couple of weeks.” Rich didn’t wait: she resigned. (RC/Des Moines Register) ...And there you have it: we can expect drunk teachers to have more integrity than the school’s HR director.