Parents Confused After Teacher's Aide Found Allegedly With Syringe In Arm
DENVER (CBS4) - Parents of students are confused after a teacher's aide was found passed out in a bathroom by students at a northwest Denver school on Thursday. She allegedly had a syringe sticking out of her arm.
"Oh my God, that makes me really, really sad," said Imelda Delgado, who has two nephews and a niece attending the Montbello neighborhood school.
The paraprofessional, Cassandra Rein, 27, was found Thursday morning in the bathroom at Denver Center for International Studies at Ford Elementary School by four first grade girls who thought she was asleep.
Police documents state that upon closer inspection by a school employee, it was determined Rein was "passed out in the restroom with a syringe hanging out of her arm, and a piece of metal foil, with an empty clear bag containing a small amount of unknown white powder by her side."
"You send your kids to school thinking that it's going to be okay, that they're safe in there and then what do you hear, they just walk into the bathroom to see this," said Delgado.
Rein was taken in an ambulance from the school, located in the 14500 block of Maxwell Place.
After arriving at the hospital she was arrested on charges of possessing a controlled substance.
The police papers state Rein's bag and purse were left behind at the school and were searched. They allegedly contained "several bottles of various pills, several more syringes, and metal caps containing a burnt powder substance residue."
"My sister was asking me if that was a good enough reason to change her kids to a different school, you know, and well, it's just one teacher, you know. We can't blame the whole school for it," said Delgado.
Some parents of students at the school told CBS4 Thursday they were upset by the news, which many learned about from a letter sent home by the principal.
Rein was placed on administrative leave and bonded out of custody on Friday night.
