An early childhood teacher told colleagues she was sipping on a “a new sugar-free flavour” of Gatorade when it was actually vodka. 

The woman continued sipping from the bottle while supervising young children at the centre where she was working after buying a bottle of vodka on her lunch break. 

The woman, whose name is suppressed, was described by staff as “happier” and “chattier” than usual during the day, before drinking more in her car and turning up at a staff meeting unsteady on her feet and generally “over the top”. 

This week, the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal issued the woman a formal censure and ordered that she tell any future employer about it as well as provide bi-annual reports about her alcohol dependence and mental health. 

According to the summary of facts in that ruling the teacher was working at an early childhood centre in January 2022 when she purchased a 1.25 litre bottle of vodka on her lunch break and poured it into a Gatorade bottle. 

At several points throughout the afternoon, she was observed drinking from the bottle, including when she was supervising children playing outside with another teacher from the centre. 

When asked what she was drinking, she said the alcohol was “a new sugar-free flavour” of Gatorade. 

When she finished work at around 5pm she went to her car and drank more before attending a staff meeting half an hour later. 

At the meeting she appeared uncharacteristically happy and greeted other teachers in an overly friendly manner. She was observed by other staff to be slurring her words, and was unfocused, disruptive, and confused. She was also fidgety and was swaying in her chair and continued to drink from the bottle during the meeting. 

Towards the end of the meeting, another person realised she was drunk, and tipped the remaining alcohol down the drain. 

The woman struggled to walk straight and open a gate before attempting to drive home. 

When confronted by another staff member about her drinking she became upset and said it was the anniversary of her partner’s death. Her colleague ended up calling an Uber for her to get home. 

Following a meeting with centre management the woman admitted having consumed alcohol throughout the day while supervising children but said she’d been on the verge of having a panic attack and hoped it would calm her down. 

She apologised, expressed remorse for her actions and accepted that she should have sought support rather than getting drunk. 

She said she’d begun weekly counselling sessions and had joined a support group for women struggling with dependence issues. 

“There can be no doubt that this meets all of the tests for serious misconduct. The behaviour was likely to adversely affect students, reflects adversely on the respondent’s fitness, and brings the profession into disrepute,” the tribunal said in its ruling. 

“Any teacher who consumes alcohol and is under the influence whilst teaching - especially in an early childhood setting - is likely to have a finding of serious misconduct made against them.” 

The tribunal noted that the woman had two previous convictions for drink-driving in 2018 and in 2020 and she’d had a finding of misconduct issued against her for those incidents. 

“It is a serious concern to us that in January 2022, less than 18 months after the Complaints Assessment Committee dealt with these convictions, the respondent’s alcohol problem has seen her consuming alcohol at her workplace and being under the influence whilst in charge of young children,” the decision reads. 

The tribunal said it was considering cancelling the woman’s registration but stopped short of such a penalty because of the help she’d sought and that she’d accepted the facts of the offending. 

“The respondent should take note that conditions like these, short of cancellation, are at the limit of what the tribunal can do,” the tribunal said. 

“If there are any future issues, whilst a matter to be decided if and when that occurs, the respondent may likely find that the tribunal takes a less optimistic view and cancels the respondent’s registration. 

“The tribunal hopes that that day does not come.” 

Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.