On Monday, October 2, 2023, a teacher was arrested after allegedly teaching and driving while intoxicated. Wendy Munson, a 57-year-old second grade teacher, was in the middle of instructing her class at Nuestro Elementary School in Live Oak, California, when officers came to observe her after receiving a report. The Sutter County Sheriff officers noticed she showed signs of intoxication.
Officers removed her from the classroom. Munson failed her sobriety test. Video footage revealed she had driven to work that day. She was arrested on suspicion of DUI and faces additional charges such as child abuse with the possibility of great bodily injury.
When parents found out about the arrest, they were naturally concerned and angry. "I thought it was crazy," Kaitlynn Conley told CBS News. "I think she should've called out of work. I know people have fun weekends, but that was definitely not OK as an educator."
"The principal did tell me that she was five years sober," parent Travis Reed stated. "Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I also heard there was a recent DUI arrest." Police did confirm Munson’s record did include prior alcohol-related arrests but would not go into more detail.
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Superintendent Dr. Baljinder Dhillon addressed the situation in a letter to the distressed families of Nuestro Elementary. "While we are limited in what we can share as this is both a personnel matter and a matter being investigated by law enforcement, what we can confirm is that a long-term substitute will be in the classroom until further notice," the district stated. Munson’s blood alcohol level was reportedly twice the legal limit even two hours after police initially observed her.
