Police: Mt. Pleasant substitute teacher arrested for public intoxication

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - The Mount Pleasant Police Department says they arrested a substitute teacher at an elementary school Thursday.

Lori Mandarino was arrested at James B. Edwards Elementary School just after noon, according to police. She was charged with public intoxication.

Mount Pleasant Police booking information indicates Mandarino is 56 years old, but jail records from the Al Cannon Detention Center state Mandarino is 62.

In a message sent to parents, the Charleston County School District says Mandarino was intercepted before she had any interaction with students. The district placed the school on a brief hold to allow law enforcement to handle the situation, the message stated.

“The district office is also aware, and this individual will not be working in our school again, or any school in the district,” the message stated.

She posted bond and was released from the Al Cannon Detention Center, jail records state.

A search of her arrest records indicates three prior charges in Charleston County including a June DUI arrest.

In a statement, Kelly Services, who works with the district to hire substitute teachers, says their background check failed to catch a previous charge.

The safety and well-being of the students we serve are always our top priorities. Kelly Education has partnered with the Charleston County School District for nearly 10 years and has successfully staffed 400,000 teaching assignments. We are taking this isolated incident very seriously. While we thoroughly screen all of our employees aligned with district and state requirements, our background check into Ms. Mandarino failed to reveal the charge on her record. The employee has been terminated, and we are working with the school district and local authorities on the investigation.

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