Teacher Accused of Giving Underage Students Alcohol

A Florida middle school teacher has been arrested after being accused of providing underage students with alcohol.

David Stokes, 45, is a history teacher at Ramblewood Middle School in the South Florida city of Coral Springs. He was arrested after police discovered him in his car at a park after closing time. He reportedly had two visibly intoxicated teenagers with him in the vehicle.

Stokes' charges include two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and trespassing on a beach or park after hours, according to WPLG, the local ABC affiliate. According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office report acquired by WPLG, the 16-year-olds demonstrated “slurred speech” and were “unbalanced on their feet.”

According to WPLG, the teens told police that their parents did not know that Stokes had picked them up and given them alcohol. One of the teens reported taking 24 cough drops allegedly provided to them by the teacher to intensify their intoxication.

A spokesperson for Broward County Public Schools issued the following statement to The Fix: "David Michael Stokes is a history teacher at Ramblewood Middle and has been placed on an administrative reassignment, pending the outcome of a District investigation."

Earlier this year, a Georgia teacher and soccer coach was arrested after more than $6 million in heroin and cocaine were found in her home. Karla Alvarez was a teacher at a middle school in Hall County.

In 2015, fourth grade teacher Rafael Luna was arrested in Oklahoma after police found heroin and cocaine wrapped in baby diapers in the trunk of his car. Luna was charged with drug trafficking. Also in 2015, another Florida teacher was banned from teaching for life after she was allegedly using cocaine while teaching a kindergarten class. Judith Offret was a teacher at Hallandale Elementary School and did not contest any of the allegations against her, choosing to retire after agreeing to meet “certain conditions” from the Broward County School District.

Even more bizarre was the case of a drama teacher in Toronto, Ontario who was suspended after giving students a handout with detailed instructions for how to cook and inject methamphetamine. The mother of one of the students in the class read from the assignment for CBC, saying, “Feel around for vein. Once found, slowly place the needle in your arm. Then pull back the plunger and—I can’t do this, sorry.”