Too Toasted to Teach

(Valparaiso, Indiana) A 49-year-old first-grade teacher at Cooks Corners Elementary School, Sharon Duerring, was arrested yesterday for being intoxicated in class.

Duerring allegedly arrived at school drunk and officials removed her from the classroom before calling police. She registered 0.20 blood alcohol content on a breathalyzer and police confiscated two beers from her purse.

Duerring, who has been teaching for 25 years, was escorted from the school and handcuffed outside the school by police before being taken to Porter County Jail and charged with public intoxication.

Police gave Duerring a trespass warning not to return the school and her school keys were confiscated at the request of the school, police said.

Superintendent Michael Benway refused to comment on the incident, saying it is a personnel matter.

What a way to stain a decades-long career of teaching, eh?


[Update 10/06/07]

The Indiana Department of Education has taken an interest in the Duerring case since it has been disclosed that she had a previous public intoxication arrest. Duerring tested at 0.275 blood alcohol concentration when arrested during an incident at the Wal-Mart automotive center in Portage last March.