10-03 · General Facility Requirements Group: Sec. 7-35, Ordinance and DCF Handbook

Complaint alleges that a 2y/o teacher, appeared to have consumed alcohol while supervising children. The smell of alcohol was detected on her breath and a cold bottle of wine was found in her backpack. Throughout the day, the contents of the bottle were reduced, and it was empty by the end of the school day. At 4:37 PM, this was reported this to the schools director, by phone. No staffing change or administrative action was taken at that time, and the teacher continued working in the classroom thereafter. On March 26, 2025, a water bottle containing a substance consistent with alcohol and a mug with a similar liquid was discovered by the teacher. The director was informed again, who came to the classroom and observed the items. The teacher was no longer present at the school the next day. Between March 18 and March 26, the teacher remained assigned to the classroom with between 9 and 11 two year old children each day. This report is submitted to request a review of: Whether appropriate licensing and safety protocols were followed. Whether the administrative response after the March 18 observation met regulatory standards FINDINGS: A complaint investigation was conducted on 7/16/2025 and a statement from the Director was received. Per the Director, the 2y/o teacher in question is no longer employed at the facility, as she was terminated a few months ago. Another teacher did bring it to her attention, sometime in march, that a teacher was drinking on the job. She went in the room to do her own investigation and saw the bottle of wine in the teacher's bag. She cannot say for sure if she was drinking it but she did see it in her bag. She told the teacher to not do it again, and if she did, she would be terminated. The teacher said that she would never bring wine to school again. A few days later, not sure of the exact date, the director stated that she decided to check the teacher's contents to see if she had stopped bringing alcohol. She opened the teacher's water bottle and poured it into a cup, brought it up to her nose and smelled it, and it I smelled like alcohol. The teacher was terminated on March 27th 2025 because the teacher had been warned previously. This complaint is substantiated