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HASLETT, Mich. - An after-hours private party that allegedly involved drinking, marijuana use and "drunk shaming" among Haslett Public Schools teachers has been denounced by school officials, but no criminal charges were ever filed in the case, according to the Lansing State Journal and The Michigan Messenger.
The party took place at a private residence in 2007 and was reviewed at the time by police and three different county prosecutors, the Journal reported. Because no charges were filed, the school district did not seek disciplinary action, though it considers the alleged activity "deplorable," Superintendent Michael Duda said in a recent e-mail to parents.
The investigation resurfaced this week when The Messenger published an article about the party after interviewing one of the teachers involved. The teacher had sought charges in the case, saying she was victimized by other teachers who drew pictures and wrote words on her body when she was unconscious due to intoxication, The Messenger reported.
Police reports about the evening's events described excessive alcohol consumption, use of marijuana supplied by a teacher and "drunk shaming," or the practice of humiliating a person who has passed out, both media reported. The Messenger reported that about six teachers and staff members were at the event.
Duda told the Journal that Michigan's Teacher Tenure Act hampered his efforts to address the case. The teacher who allegedly was "drunk shamed" has twice refused separation agreements offered by the district, which asked her to resign, according to the Journal.
A spokeswoman for the teacher told the Journal that the teacher decided to speak publicly about the case as a way to draw attention to the problem of "drunk shaming."
SOURCES:
Lansing
State Journal, "Haslett teachers' actions are called 'deplorable,'" Oct. 15,
2009
The Michigan Messenger, "Haslett teacher reveals 'drunk shaming' by fellow employees," Oct. 13, 2009
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac
Center for Public Policy,
"Reforming Teacher Tenure Policies," June 30, 2008
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