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Baltimore City teacher charged with bringing illegal drugs to class
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - A Baltimore City elementary school teacher was arrested Friday on drug charges, allegedly after a bag of marijuana fell out of her purse in front of students.
The incident allegedly occurred during an early morning class at George G. Kelson Elementary School in East Baltimore. The teacher allegedly dropped her purse and a bag of marijuana tumbled onto the floor, sources familiar with the investigation said.
“I think you dropped something,” the students told the school teacher.
After students reported the incident to the principal, the teacher was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana.
Officials at the school confirmed a teacher had been arrested on possession charges but declined to comment. City school officials would only confirm the arrest.
“A teacher was found to be in possession of a controlled substance, and the teacher was arrested,” said Vanessa Pyatt, spokeswoman for the Baltimore City Public School System.
“I cannot provide any other details regarding the investigation. Anything else is considered a confidential personnel issue,” she said.
School police also declined to comment.
The arrest of a teacher on drug possession charges on school grounds comes two weeks after the beating of a city art teacher — allegedly by an eighth-grader — garnered national attention.
Jolita Berry, an art teacher at Reginald F. Lewis High School, was attacked repeatedly by a student after Berry told the student to sit down. The beating was captured by a cell phone camera. Berry later appeared on both “The Today Show” and CNN.
Examiner Staff Writer Kelsey Volkmann contributed to this story.
sjanis@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
2:50 PM MST on Fri., May. 9, 2008 re: "Substitute teacher arrested"
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Examiner Reader said:
How sad that a school district wouldn't check the backgrounds of their substitute teachers. She sounds like she has some major problems. I wouldn't want this woman teaching my children.
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Examiner Reader said:
Some of your facts are off. The students did not inform the principal and it is not clear whether it belonged to the teacher. It is a strong possibility that it belonged to a student. Keep in mind, the class did know what it was.
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Examiner Reader said:
I don't think I blame the teacher except for dropping it. You gotta do something to try and teach these kids.
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Examiner Reader said:
I'm surprised the students didn't beat her up and steal her pot.
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give me a break said:
eyewitnesses say the bag of weed fell out of the teacher's purse. DRUGS on her person while teaching. just another pathetic day in the hood. freakin cess pool.
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Examiner Reader said:
as parent of a student of george g. kelson/middle school,in west balto. not east balto. the teacher is not being treated fair .the student in her class found the marijuana and the teacher is now being charge with something she didnot do .she reported it to the office
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The Undertaker said:
Maybe if she shared the weed with her students we would have less violence in our schools. Seriously though, shame on those parents for having 1st graders who know what pot looks like. And double shame for raising them to be agents of the oppressive state.
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Examiner Reader said:
The teacher is obviously at fault, but why do 1st graders know what pot looks like?
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