CMS Teacher Accused Of Doing Drugs In Classroom

A former teacher with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is accused of doing drugs in what was his classroom.

George Terry McDonald, 50, was an art teacher at Bruns Avenue Elementary School and at McAlpine Elementary School.

According to CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman, an assistant principal at Bruns Avenue went to McDonald’s art classroom and found the door locked on Monday. A sign on the door said classes were canceled through Friday.

The administrator told school officials she had a key, so she opened the door and saw McDonald with a band around his arm looking for a vein. She said she believes he was about to use heroin.

Gorman said the administrator did not see a syringe but did see spoons and drug paraphernalia. She called police and McDonald was arrested on charges of possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia. He also resigned from CMS.

“We are clearly outraged that a teacher engaged in this kind of behavior on school grounds. We won’t tolerate this kind of behavior at CMS and we plan to notify state officials so they can insure that this individual won’t be able to do this at any other schools in the future,” Gorman said.

McDonald joined the school system in 2004. He was arrested on drug charges in Buncombe County in 2005, but CMS did not know about the charges because it was McDonald’s responsibility to inform school officials, as he was already a teacher.

"It is part of the employee handbook and orientation that they report any charge to their supervisor, and it is grounds for dismissal if they don't report it," CMS spokeswoman Nora Carr said.

McDonald was allowed to enter a deferred prosecution program, and the charges were dismissed when he completed the program.

During a news conference Monday, Gorman said it isn't practical to run regular records checks on the district's nearly 17,000 employees. But Gorman said he's concerned about employees failing to report criminal charges, adding that in some states police are required to notify school districts when school employees are arrested.

Although no students witnessed the incident, parents received automated calls making them aware of the criminal charges, school officials said.

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