Teacher admits to snorting cocaine in school toilets

A kindergarten teacher in Wisconsin has been arrested after admitting to using cocaine in the bathrooms of her elementary school.

Laurie Laubenstein, 58, who taught at Lincoln Elementary in New London, faces a criminal charge of cocaine possession with a serious legal "enhancer" because the drug use occurred on school grounds.

The investigation into the long-serving teacher began following an anonymous tip regarding her erratic behaviour.

Staff and a school resource officer noted she frequently took her handbag into the toilets; subsequently, bloody tissues and white powder were discovered in the restrooms.

On 12 February, police searched Laubenstein’s belongings and found cocaine stashed in her purse and coat pocket.

During her interview, Laubenstein confessed to a regular habit that began last August as a way to cope with personal issues.

She admitted snorting the drug before and after school, as well as during the day in the teachers' lounge and her own classroom’s bathroom—specifically on a counter once used for changing children.

Despite these admissions, she insisted she "always cleans up after herself" and "would never put her students in danger."

While the school district assured parents that no students were ever at risk, Laubenstein has been removed from the staff directory.

She appeared in court on 19 February and is scheduled for an initial appearance on 17 March. The community remains shaken by the revelation that such activity was occurring within the halls of a primary school.