Teacher suspected of intoxication in Terra Linda class

Instructor arrested, put on leave

A Terra Linda High School teacher was arrested for allegedly being under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs and cannabis while teaching students, police said.

Teagen Leonhart, 46, of San Anselmo was booked at the Marin County Jail on suspicion of public intoxication and child endangerment, both misdemeanors, said San Rafael police Lt. Dan Fink.

Leonhart could not be reached for comment.

Leonhart is identified as an English teacher on the school's website. She has been placed on paid administrative leave pending further investigation, said Jim Hogeboom, superintendent of San Rafael City Schools.

“We wish to reassure all of our families that the school and district have and will continue to take every precaution to ensure the safety of students and staff at our schools, which is our highest priority,” he said.

Reports from the police and the district said a school employee alerted Katy Dunlap, the school principal, about suspicions that Leonhart was intoxicated on Wednesday morning. Dunlap went to the classroom and believed Leonhart showed signs of intoxication.

The district said Leonhart was overseeing a preparation period at the time and not instructing students. A group of students studying in the classroom at the time was reassigned to another location.

The school contacted the police and officers were dispatched to the campus just before noon. The San Rafael Police Department sent a statecertified drug recognition expert to the school to evaluate Leonhart.

Leonhart initially denied consuming alcohol, but a preliminary screening test showed that her blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit for driving. She then admitted to consuming alcohol that morning, Fink said.

The expert also determined that Leonhart was under the influence of a prescription drug and cannabis.

The district said Leonhart was taken into custody in Dunlap's office so students and teachers did not have to observe the arrest.

Police said Leonhart taught classes that morning and was responsible for 53 students during the day.

As of Thursday morning, Leonhart was no longer in the custody of the county jail.

Morgan Agnew, president of the San Rafael Federation of Teachers, said the union “cannot and will not comment on personnel matters.”

Terra Linda High School has an enrollment of 1,230 students, according to the California Department of Education.