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Jesse Mockler, a teacher in Hernando County, Florida, was recently arrested for DUI, drug trafficking, and possession of a drug without a prescription. As of this moment, he still has his job. You would think he’d at least be ordered to alcohol or drug detox, Florida has plenty of them, but, instead, he’s back in school teaching kids.

What’s in Mockler’s future? It’s hard to say. According to Wayne Alexander, school superintendent, there is no automatic dismissal for a teacher arrested for a first-degree felony – which these charges are. Mockler received a letter from the district’s director of labor relations stating that the district doesn’t intend to take any personnel action at this time, although they reserved the right to do so in the future.

One of the most alarming things about this is Mockler’s attitude. A newspaper article reported him as arguing with the police about them “giving him such a hard time” when “everybody drinks and drives.” He also refused a breathalyzer and told police that it doesn’t matter what he’s charged with because he’s got a good lawyer.

If you’ve got a kid in Powell Middle School, you might want to take some action. Mockler could be your child’s teacher.

This is apparently Mockler’s first teaching job – without a drug detox program and possibly rehab, it could be his last. At a time when drug use is so prevalent in schools that many are implementing random drug testing, we certainly don’t need teachers who create a negative influence.

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