NEED TO KNOW
- A 47-year-old substitute teacher at an elementary and middle school in Vermont has been issued a citation after bringing cocaine to the campus
- The incident occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 1, according to the Barre Town Police Department
- Police identified the woman as Melissa Martin, a “permanent substitute teacher”
A 47-year-old substitute teacher at an elementary and middle school in Vermont has been issued a citation after allegedly bringing cocaine to the campus, officials said.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 1, Chief William Dodge from the Barre Town Police Department said in an online statement. Around 10:49 a.m. local time, police and local EMS were called to Barre Town Middle & Elementary School for a report of an adult woman under the influence of drugs.
Police identified the woman as Melissa Martin, a “permanent substitute teacher” employed by the Barre Unified Union School District who worked at Barre Town Middle & Elementary School.
“The incident was reported to school staff after a student noticed Martin’s unusual behavior,” a police spokesperson said in the statement. “Martin had admitted to school administration that she had cocaine in her jacket pocket, which was located in the classroom she had been teaching in.”
School officials removed her from the classroom, and it was empty when police entered.
“Barre Town K9 Lakota was brought in, and she ultimately alerted to the presence of narcotics in both a jacket, as well as a backpack belonging to Martin,” police said. “A subsequent search of the jacket revealed a white substance which later yielded a presumptive positive result for cocaine.”
Police issued Martin a citation for possession of cocaine and reckless endangerment.
“Any questions regarding Martin’s employment should be directed to the Barre Unified School District,” police continued.
A representative from the Barre Unified Union School District was not immediately available off-hours to respond to a request from PEOPLE for additional details about the incident.
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“The person is not at school now, I do have some personnel steps I need to take,” Barre Unified Union School District Superintendent JoAn Canning told NBC affiliate WPTZ.
Brittany, a mother whose son was in Martin’s classroom, told the station, “He looked visibly shaken and upset and I asked what had happened today and he said that his substitute teacher was clearly on drugs and was acting crazy. Those were his exact words.”
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