A woman serving as a temporary substitute in an Iredell elementary school classroom was found to be drunk on the job and had wine in her purse.

NO MUGSHOT PROVIDED

Jessica Sue Proctor, age 41, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of alcohol on a school campus and misdemeanor child neglect.

Proctor’s next court appearance is in Mooresville District Court on Mar. 9.  No image of Proctor was made available.

Per a news release from Iredell County Sheriff’s Office,  Principal Kim Mitchell notified the school resource officer Sgt. Dallas Hicks that someone working on the campus was impaired. Hicks investigated, confirmed the report, and removed Proctor from the classroom.

While in the classroom Proctor had an open insulated cup of wine in her purse that could have been easily accessed by students.  Iredell County deputies found Proctor not only already drunk but continuing to drink while working.

Proctor had been working with exceptional children at Shepherd Elementary School located in the Mooresville area for two days prior to the incident. She was not an employee of Iredell-Statesville Schools (ISS) but instead worked for a temporary agency called Stepping Stones Group which ISS confirms it has used to fill substitute and part-time positions.

ISS officials released the following statement:

The safety of our students is our top priority. We are thankful that our employees felt empowered to speak up when something was not right. Due to the prompt response by our school administration, with assistance from the school resource officer and I-SS human resources department, the suspected employee was questioned, alcohol was found, and the employee was removed immediately. In the duties of this individual, no child was left alone with this individual at any time.

There is no teaching license for Proctor on file with the state.