Posted on 06/20/2002 1:10:27 PM PDT by marshmallow
A Bethel School District teacher resigned last week after it was discovered that she had smoked marijuana with a 14-year-old student at her home.
Terri Elizabeth McCracken, 34, of Springfield, had taught seventh grade at the district's Meadow View School for two years. The district is in northwest Eugene.
Eugene police charged McCracken on June 11 with one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a minor. She was given a citation and released.
When school district officials confronted her with the allegations, she resigned immediately, district spokesman Craig Hawkins said.
McCracken did not return a message a reporter left on her answering machine Tuesday seeking comment on the charges.
Police allege that McCracken invited a 14-year-old male student from her class to her Springfield home twice between April 6 and April 15, Eugene police Sgt. Scott McKee said.
The teacher allegedly provided a pipe and some marijuana and the two smoked it together, McKee said.
"There's a clear ethical issue here," McKee said. "This kid is being supplied an illegal substance by a trusted adult teacher."
A school resource officer heard about the incident and referred the case to the police department's Rapid Deployment Unit, which conducted the investigation.
Both the student and teacher confirmed that the allegations were true, McKee said.
Hawkins said the district will report the incident to the state Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, which licenses Oregon teachers. The commission could decide to revoke McCracken's teaching license.
While teaching at Creswell Middle School in 2000, McCracken and two other teachers were named Oregon Innovators in Education for developing an environmental science curriculum that incorporated language arts, science
The article doesn't mention it, but this has all the hallmarks of one of those "female teacher seduces pupil" stories that are becoming almost commonplace.
Alcohol is legal for adults, but any teacher who drinks alcohol with a yound student would also be punished.
Cheers Tony
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