Anne Wampole, Florida Teacher, Breathalyzed At 40 Percent Above Legal Alcohol Limit At School, Put On Leave

Anne Wampole, a 39-year-old teacher at Bayshore High School in Manatee, Fla., is on administrative leave after blowing 40 percent above the state legal alcohol limit in the classroom, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports.

Last month, Assistant Principal Ginger Collins walked into Wampole's classroom with a question about one of her students when the administrator noticed a strong smell of alcohol on the teacher's breath.

Wampole was then removed from her classroom and underwent two breathalyzer tests at around 1:30 p.m. Both tests recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.112 percent -- 40 percent above the state's legal limit of 0.08.

According to a report by the Bradenton Herald, the assistant principal also observed that the teacher was "banging on her classroom door" to keep her students working on class assignments.

Assistant superintendent Scott Martin told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune the fact that the teacher's blood-alcohol level was that high after being at the school since 7:30 a.m. is alarming.

"It's a serious concern that it was that high that late in the day," Martin said.

The school board will vote next week on whether to place Wampole on unpaid administrative leave until the hearing, which will determine if she keeps her job. So far, it is unclear if the teacher was drinking throughout the day or arrived to school intoxicated.

These accusations come after Jill Lyle, a substitute teacher at Chaparral Elementary School in Santa Fe, Ariz., was fired last September for reportedly being found passed out drunk on the job.

No charges were filed against Lyle because she was caught around lunchtime, when the students were not under her immediate care.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Kevin73]

03:58 PM on 02/28/2012

Put on leave? seriously? another shining example of the waste of teachers unions.

[Cwendy11]

09:27 PM on 02/27/2012

How can you compare the behavior of an adult who is supposed to teach and set an example to children to the behavior of the students? If you are drunk at 7:30am, there is no excuse for that. How did she get to school? She most likely drove there, which is a crime, btw. I am not anti teacher, but I think it's safe to say they shouldn't be drunk at work. a non union employee would've been fired on the spot.

[patrice schreder]

09:02 AM on 02/27/2012

maybe she is going through terrible problems and never learned good coping skillls. maybe she's an outstsnding teacher, maybe the 'girls went out for lunch.not excuses,mitigating factors.

[Cwendy11]

09:22 PM on 02/27/2012

Are you serious?

[Kevin73]

04:00 PM on 02/28/2012

are you trying to justify her having ANY alcohol while dealing with elementary ages children?

there are NO mitigating factors.....are you even a parent?

[daughterusmc]

04:33 PM on 02/25/2012

After reading these posts, I think someone needs to notify AA and let them know that if we just did away with unions, alcoholism would cease to exist, and no one would ever show up inexcusably wasted anywhere, let alone a classroom, again! Think of how many otherwise ruined wedding receptions would be spared!!!

[Ariel Bonzai]

03:34 PM on 02/23/2012

It's really telling that a school has a breathlyzer.

[Protocolor]

04:07 PM on 02/23/2012

They're used for busting students, but for some reason drunk, stoned, or tripping students are not newsworthy... probably because there are hundreds in any given school district on any given day. On the other hand, one teacher does a three-martini lunch and you suddenly have a huge national scandal.

Note that the last incident that the writers of the article could find in their attempt to paint this as some sort of pattern among teachers didn't even involve a real teacher and occurred last September on the opposite side of the continent. If those are all of the incidents of drinking on the job among America's 7.2 million teachers over the last school year, it is actually a pretty solid indication of how professional and dedicated America's teacher corps really are.

[Ariel Bonzai]

07:42 PM on 02/23/2012

I agree with you completely. I have had kids under the influence of booze, pills, x, speed, weed, and household cleansers. Teachers seem to turn to Xanax and vicodin not hootch. I cannot imagine being hungover at school or impaired in Amy way.i am sure most teachers are like minded.

[montanna9]

12:08 PM on 02/23/2012

I don't see what the big deal is, it's not like she was drinking with her students. JK

[Protocolor]

09:40 AM on 02/23/2012

"These accusations come after Jill Lyle, a substitute teacher at Chaparral Elementary School in Santa Fe, Ariz., was fired last September for reportedly being found passed out drunk on the job."

Oh my! It is a veritable epidemic of drunk teachers! A substitute teacher passes out five months ago, and "right on the heels" of that incident this teacher has a three-martini lunch. Who do these teachers think that they are? Corporate executives? Lawyers? HVAC contractors?

[Kevin73]

04:02 PM on 02/28/2012

so you are saying that its ok for a teacher to drink before or during work just like a lawyer having a couple at a meeting?

[Protocolor]

10:25 PM on 02/28/2012

So you're saying it's OK for a lawyer to have a couple at a meeting?

[Sistagirl Young]

04:22 PM on 02/22/2012

She might benefit from Bill W. and Dr. Bob. Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. It's a miracle she was able to even get to school. I hope she wasn't drivin'. Life.

[joyfree]

09:36 PM on 02/22/2012

Fanned as a grateful member of AA.

[Sistagirl Young]

10:21 PM on 02/22/2012

Hello joyfree; Great. Chil' the tales I could tell. AA is wonderful. Although I must admit these weren't my sentiments when I first got there. I didn't believe a dang-gone thang they said. They had a problem I didn't. I had to do everythang the hard way. But I'm happy to say it works and very well. I've been In 'N Out more times than the hamburger place. But I'm sober today. GOD bless and Keep Coming Back. I betta start walkin' he walk. But I'm a real alcoholic. Need I say more? Thank you for the "Fanned." Life.

[Michael Myer]

10:06 PM on 02/22/2012

I would say that she was drinking during the day

[Sistagirl Young]

10:25 PM on 02/22/2012

Hello Michael Myer; Probably. But I imagine she had a head-start by the time she got there. Of course I don't know but that was my MO. Thank you for the reply. Life.

[Tony Moschetti]

04:00 PM on 02/22/2012

"Anne Wampole, Florida Teacher, Breathalyzed At 40 Percent Above Legal Alcohol Limit At School, Put On Leave"

Paid leave I assume! I'm surprised she wasn't promoted to principal, or offered a job in administration. Don't worry sweetie, the union will take care of you, probably make you a steward!

[p---]

09:23 PM on 02/22/2012

you didn't read the article. it was unpaid leave.

[Protocolor]

09:40 AM on 02/23/2012

"Paid leave I assume!"

Wrong. She's a teacher, not a cop.

[Tony Moschetti]

11:58 AM on 02/23/2012

Wow, you need to check out "The Rubber Room!"

It was until recently, where NYC teachers who couldnot be put in the classroom for various reasons, went everyday to read books, work on the computer, write, etc., while receiving FULL PAY AND BENEFITS until the "12 year" process to fire them was completed!

Similar instance in Krazyfornia where the process to fire some bad apple teachers dragged on for 5 years! We learned from Greece!

Idiot!

[Kevin73]

04:05 PM on 02/28/2012

Not to mention the article states that she is on Administrative leave until they vote to put her on unpaid leave or fire her.

[Marx Twain]

03:44 PM on 02/22/2012

Okay, Huff Post, I am really sick and tired of you posting these stories under the "Education" section. These are "Crime" stories, please put them in the right section. A stroy about a doctor who commits a crime wouldn't be listed under "Medicine".

[Soldier79]

02:36 PM on 02/22/2012

Simple thing, Wampole should be fired, what kind of example is she giving to her students?

[Protocolor]

09:42 AM on 02/23/2012

It's Florida, so the fact that she has (or had?) a job at all means she's likely a far better example than her students' parents.

[stopnlisten]

12:49 PM on 02/25/2012

Compassionate aren't you? Maybe she needs help, soldier, sort of like those with PTSD.

[Soldier79]

02:33 PM on 02/25/2012

If I was caught drunk on a job I would get fired. How is she any different?

[cotter]

01:45 PM on 02/22/2012

No nights, weekends or holidays I taught school for 7 years , it was a pretty good gig, and you could start drinking at 4p.m. on most weekdays, I had a cocktail at lunch-hour once and the last place I wanted to be was at school with 15 and 16 year olds.

[Soldier79]

02:35 PM on 02/22/2012

Ah, such a lovely teacher you must have been. I am glad you never taught any classes I was in.

[cotter]

03:35 PM on 02/22/2012

Thank you, I only taught the advanced class, so no chance but you would have been welcomed and treated fairly

[aphextwin07]

01:44 PM on 02/22/2012

it's bad enough that she is a teacher caught drunk on the job, no need to try to sensationalize the article with the "40% over" nonsense, just say .03 over the limit.

[Kevin73]

04:07 PM on 02/28/2012

that is the limit to DRIVE.....not the limit to supervise other people children....

[TheyCallMeArt]

01:02 PM on 02/22/2012

"No charges were filed against Lyle because she was caught around lunchtime, when the students were not under her immediate care."

... Really? It's okay that the students were under her immediate care at SOME point during the day as long as they weren't under her immediate care when they discovered she was drunk? Seriously, Florida...

[HeavenlyTouch]

12:56 PM on 02/22/2012

If they Would Start Paying Our Teachers Better this Proberly Wouldn't be happening & If we would Start Sentencing Women Teachers to 20 Years in Prison Like we Do Men Teachers for Having Sex with Minors that would stop too --But as long as we Coddle our Women Teachers these will keep Happening

[rwsmetros]

09:44 PM on 02/22/2012

We need to pay GOOD teachers more money and get rid of the bad teachers along with tenure and unions, that will improve they system.

[Protocolor]

09:47 AM on 02/23/2012

Such brilliance is why America keeps going from bad to worse.

What will really happen is that you will get rid of the good teachers along with tenure and the unions and then have to pay the bad teachers more. Great plan!