A school security officer in Virginia arrested a second-grade teacher on Thursday because she was high on drugs in her classroom.
The school security officer at Fredericksburg’s Spotswood Elementary School saw that 35-year-old Candyce Leigh Carter seemed to be high at school. Authorities said that more investigation revealed what they thought were drugs in her classroom.
A Spotsylvania citizen named Carter was arrested on charges of felony child endangerment, felony child neglect or abuse, and felony possession of Schedule I or II drugs.
During the incident, Carter’s husband was found in a car in the school parking lot. He was also thought to be high on drugs and needed medical help, police said.
Police say they found a 2-year-old child in the car with the husband, who is named Kristopher Donald Carter and is also from Spotsylvania. He is 34 years old. Police said he was arrested for felony child risk and felony child neglect or abuse.
Rappahannock Regional Jail is where both Carters have been locked up. Carter is being held without a fee. Carter is being held in jail on a $5,000 bond.
“No students reported injuries or exposure but were checked by medical personnel out of an abundance of caution and the classroom was professionally cleaned,” the police said.
The sheriff’s office got help with the arrest from Spotsylvania Social Services and the school’s leadership.
FOX 5 D.C. reported that Spotsylvania County School Board member Lisa Phelps thanked police for their work in a statement.
Thank goodness that the drugs didn’t get into the hands of the kids in Spotsylvania County. For both kids and adults, I know that drugs are present in our schools. “I have repeatedly voiced my concerns in public at school board meetings,” Phelps told FOX 5 DC.
“It looks like this school is the same as all the others we hear about in the news.” I think the main change between now and when I went to school is the availability of fentanyl. If fentanyl gets into the hands of your child, lover, or friend, they might not get another chance at life, she said.
Officials from Spotsylvania County Public Schools said in a statement to FOX 5 DC that they take all reports of alleged employee misconduct very seriously and follow all district policies and procedures when reacting to and looking into them. “The district is grateful for how quickly our Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Department acted.” We will keep working hard to make sure that all of our kids and staff are safe in our schools.
