MANALAPAN – A substitute teacher who was suspected of being intoxicated in a classroom was removed from the Pine Brook School, Pease Road, by police on Dec. 5 and charged with endangering the welfare of the children for whom she was responsible.
Mary Kaminski, 54, of Middletown, was taken by police officers from the school at midday and transported to CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, “due to her high level of intoxication,” according to a police report concerning the incident.
Kaminski, who is married, worked as a substitute teacher in the Manalapan- Englishtown Regional School District. She was not a full-time employee.
Manalapan police Capt. Lou Moreto said that as of Dec. 7 Kaminski remained in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, on $50,000 bail with no option to pay 10 percent of the total bail to secure her release.
According to a press release prepared by Manalapan police Sgt. Gerald Bruno, officers were called to the Pine Brook School by administrators who said a teacher might be intoxicated.
The News Transcript was notified by several parents on the afternoon of Dec. 5 about what had occurred in the building. The parents said the teacher was in a fourth-grade classroom. According to one person who called the newspaper, the teacher had thrown a book or books at the students.
Board of Education President Anthony Manisero confirmed the bookthrowing incident, but said the book hit a wall and that no student was hit with a book.
When the police officers arrived at the school, they were met by Principal Mike D’Anna and Assistant Principal John Spalthoff.
The officers learned that two girls from a fourth-grade class had told school administrators that their substitute teacher had fallen in class and was “exhibiting odd behavior.”
D’Anna’s visit to the classroom and subsequent assessment of the teacher led him to conclude Kaminski was under the influence of “some kind of substance,” so he removed her from the classroom, according to the police report.
Upon returning to the classroom, D’Anna retrieved a travel mug in the room that contained a liquid authorities believe to be alcoholic.
After meeting with school administrators, the officers placed Kaminski under arrest and transported her to the hospital.
Kaminski was subsequently charged by police with possession of alcohol on school property and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
D’Anna sent a letter home on Dec. 5 to the parents of the children who were in the classroom with Kaminski. He wrote, “I sincerely regret this incident and promise you that her name will be removed from the substitute list for our district. Know that your child’s welfare is our utmost concern.”
According to Manisero, Kaminski had worked as a substitute teacher in the district before, but Dec. 5 was the first day she had taught in that particular classroom.
Manisero said D’Anna wrote the letter because administrators wanted parents to hear about the incident from them and not through the rumor mill.
“Mike D’Anna and John Spalthoff really reacted professionally in controlling the situation as quickly as possible. The two female students who reported the problem should also be commended for their mature and responsible reaction to the situation,” Manisero said.
Superintendent of Schools John Marciante echoed Manisero’s sentiments regarding the administrators’ and the students’ actions. Regarding the letter that was sent home, Marciante said D’Anna composed the letter in an effort to be “upfront and honest” with parents.
Marciante said Kaminski had been a substitute teacher in the district for about 18 months.
Asked to assess the situation, the superintendent said, “It’s a sad occasion. Here’s a woman who was a teacher her whole life, and then this happens.”