The Board of Trustees of the Livingston Independent School District approved a proposal to terminate the teacher that was placed on administrative leave following her arrest for having illegal drugs in her classroom. The action was taken during a special called meeting Wednesday. The teacher will have 15 days to appeal to the Commissioner of Education.
Livingston Junior High School staff responded to a medical situation involving the employee on March 12. During that response, staff members discovered a substance and the administration notified law enforcement immediately.
Investigators arrived and identified the substance as methamphetamine and also found items commonly linked to drug use.
Amanda Marie Stanzel, 38 of Livingston, was charged with possession of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone and abandoning or endangering a child or individual with intentional reckless criminal negligence. Stanzel was released from the hospital on March 18, taken into custody by Livingston police officers and booked into the Polk County Jail.
“Livingston ISD takes this matter very seriously. We neither condone nor tolerate this type of behavior by staff members. The district is fully cooperating with law enforcement and will continue to follow all legal and personnel procedures,” a press release from Livingston ISD said.
According to the Livingston Police Department, there was no evidence at the time that any students came in contact with the drugs.
