New Zealand early childcare worker who was ‘chattier than normal’ found to have hidden vodka inside her Gatorade bottle
A childcare teacher who was “happier” and “more talkative” than usual at work had vodka hidden in a bottle of Gatorade while working with children, a court has ruled.
The New Zealand woman was charged by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal with serious misconduct over the incident that took place in January 2022.
The court was told that the teacher had left the centre during her lunch break and had purchased a 1.25 litre bottle of Nitro vodka and guarana, which contained 7 per cent alcohol.
She poured it into a Gatorade bottle and went back to school.
Her co-workers noticed her drinking from the bottle all afternoon while supervising the children on the playground.
When questioned, she said she was drinking a new sugar-free Gatorade.
Staff described her behavior at a staff meeting later that day as “highly excessive.”
The court was told she was unusually cheerful, greeted other teachers in an overly friendly manner, spoke slurredly, was unfocused, disruptive, confused and drank alcohol during the meeting.
A childcare worker was found to have put a mix of vodka in her Gatorade bottle
Towards the end of the meeting someone realized she was drunk. She poured the alcohol down the sink and threw the bottle in the recycling bin.
When the meeting ended around 6:30 p.m., the teacher struggled to walk straight and open a gate. Another teacher stopped her as she was driving home and asked her if she had been drinking.
The woman burst into tears and explained that it was the anniversary of her partner’s death.
After she got out of an Uber, another teacher found an empty bottle of alcohol in the gutter, the court heard.
The court heard that during a meeting with the centre’s management, the teacher admitted she should have taken the day off and that she had suffered an anxiety attack.
She apologized for her behavior and said she should have told her coworkers how she felt and sought support, and told them she had begun drug and alcohol counseling shortly after the incident.
The court found that the woman’s actions met all the criteria for serious misconduct, which could have had a negative impact on students and brought the profession into disrepute.
Colleagues at the daycare center noticed the woman’s strange behavior (stock photo)
The teacher, who the court said had also recently been convicted of drunk driving, was ordered to provide current or future employers with a copy of the court’s findings.
She has also been ordered to provide the Education Council with a report on the progress of her rehabilitation every six months.
The woman was also ordered to pay $1,250 in legal costs.