Special2bme
August 27th, 2009, 08:38 PM
AVENTURA - A veteran Flanagan High School teacher has been removed from teaching after being arrested for drunken driving and multiple drug-possession charges, a Broward School District spokeswoman said today.
Peter Epstein, 38, who was arrested Aug. 7, was immediately removed from the classroom when teachers returned to work Aug. 17, a week before students came back to school, said spokeswoman Marsy Smith.
Aventura police say they pulled over Epstein as he was driving 80 mph in the 19100 block of Biscayne Boulevard and found a bag of marijuana in his pocket.
Later, inside Epstein's gray Ford Mustang, police said they found a bag of what appeared to be cocaine. They also found a bag of lavender pills believed to be ecstasy inside of the police cruiser where he had been detained, according to a police report.
Epstein is charged with DUI, possession of cocaine and less than 20 grams of marijuana, and having a controlled substance.
Smith said Epstein is a teacher of exceptional education and is the student government adviser at Flanagan. He has worked as a Broward teacher for nearly 16 years and earns about $58,000 a year.
He was placed in a position where he won't interact with students pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, she said.
Teachers who have been administratively reassigned are typically placed at the book depository, she said.
A substitute teacher has taken over classes for Epstein, who teaches multiple grade levels at Flanagan, Smith said.
The school has made no official announcements about Epstein's removal, Smith said. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flanagan-teacher-bn082709,0,2197400.story
Peter Epstein, 38, who was arrested Aug. 7, was immediately removed from the classroom when teachers returned to work Aug. 17, a week before students came back to school, said spokeswoman Marsy Smith.
Aventura police say they pulled over Epstein as he was driving 80 mph in the 19100 block of Biscayne Boulevard and found a bag of marijuana in his pocket.
Later, inside Epstein's gray Ford Mustang, police said they found a bag of what appeared to be cocaine. They also found a bag of lavender pills believed to be ecstasy inside of the police cruiser where he had been detained, according to a police report.
Epstein is charged with DUI, possession of cocaine and less than 20 grams of marijuana, and having a controlled substance.
Smith said Epstein is a teacher of exceptional education and is the student government adviser at Flanagan. He has worked as a Broward teacher for nearly 16 years and earns about $58,000 a year.
He was placed in a position where he won't interact with students pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, she said.
Teachers who have been administratively reassigned are typically placed at the book depository, she said.
A substitute teacher has taken over classes for Epstein, who teaches multiple grade levels at Flanagan, Smith said.
The school has made no official announcements about Epstein's removal, Smith said. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flanagan-teacher-bn082709,0,2197400.story