Pompano teacher accused of going to work drunk could lose job

By Kathy Bushouse | Sun-Sentinel.com

12:00 PM EDT, July 17, 2008

A Pompano Beach High School teacher accused of showing up to work while drunk could lose her job on Tuesday, when the Broward County School Board is scheduled to vote on whether to fire her.

Valjean Marguriet, a 27-year veteran of the school district, has been on leave from her job since January 14, when she came to class smelling of alcohol, according to the district's complaint.

Last year, a federal judge sentenced Marguriet to three years' probation after she pleaded guilty to charges she assaulted a flight attendant on an AirTran Airways flight from Atlanta to Newport News, Va. The judge also ordered Marguriet to undergo alcohol and mental health counseling.

The school district's complaint against Marguriet said students saw Marguriet drunk at work. She was "repeatedly telling her students she loved them," and "unable to answer simple questions. Her speech was slurred."

Laboratory tests confirmed Marguriet was under the influence of alcohol, according to the complaint.

The complaint said Marguriet came to school while intoxicated on multiple other occasions. It cites a complaint from teachers and students who recalled Marguriet appearing at Silver Trail Middle School "with slurred speech and repeating the same things over and over" and attending a school basketball game while drunk.

Kathy Bushouse can be reached at kbushouse@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4556.