Elementary teacher charged with alcohol possession on school campus, Iredell deputies say

WSOCTV.com News Staff
·2 min read
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An elementary school teacher has been charged with possession of alcohol on a school campus, according to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.

On Tuesday, the principal of Shepherd Elementary School informed a resource officer that a person working on campus was possibly impaired by some substance.

The principal said the employee, 41-year-old Jessica Sue Proctor, smelled of alcohol. Proctor was hired through the Stepping Stones Group, a company the Iredell-Statesville School System uses to fill positions temporarily.

The school resource officer said they immediately began an investigation into the accusation and Proctor was removed from her classroom.

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Proctor was deemed to have been impaired. She was also found to have an empty wine bottle and an insulated cup full of wine in her possession, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies said Proctor has been charged with misdemeanor possession of alcohol on a school campus.

She has also been charged with misdemeanor child neglect because she was in a classroom with an open bottle of wine that students could have easily accessed, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies said Proctor will appear in court on March 9.

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A representative for the Iredell County School released a statement regarding the incident saying:

“The safety of our students is our top priority. We are thankful that our employees felt empowered to speak up when something was not right. Due to the prompt response by our school administration, with assistance from the school resource officer and I-SS human resources department, the suspected employee was questioned, alcohol was found, and the employee was removed immediately. In the duties of this individual, no child was left alone with this individual at any time. Jessica Sue Proctor served as a contracted teacher assistant for two days at Shepherd Elementary School through The Stepping Stones Group. In an effort to fully staff our schools, our district has used staffing agencies to fill positions.”

(WATCH BELOW: School teacher arrested while drunk in class, deputies say)