Documents allege Tacoma teacher had 5 times the legal blood alcohol limit for driving while teaching class

TACOMA -- A Tacoma teacher is accused of being drunk while on the job.

Administrators say Klara Bowman had a BAC of .40, five times the legal limit, while teaching her kindergarten kids.

Tacoma Public Schools fired Bowman and now Q13 News has obtained documents from the district that allege Bowman had rum in a mug of orange juice while teaching her kindergarteners on February 19.

“I saw Ms. Bowman and two security officers and the principal and the vice principal walk out of the office,” one mom said.

The mom has kids in Bowman's class but asked us not to show her face; she says she witnessed Bowman being escorted off school property.

“She wasn’t stumbling; she didn’t have to be caught,” mom said.

That's completely different from the district`s report.

One teacher reported Bowman was so drunk she fell onto two students, and quickly propped herself up.

A student reported Bowman to the main office and when administrators got to her classroom they found Bowman in a chair with her head back, her eyes and face red.

They say Bowman appeared unsteady walking to the main office, at one point administrators  say she walked right into a wall in front of a class of 4th graders. Later a co-worker told the school Bowman sent her a series of texts messages asking the co-worker to get rid of liquor bottles she stashed in the classroom. After a search, officers found an empty bottle of rum and wine inside what they called a disorganized classroom.

Many parents are learning it's not Bowman's first strike. In 2011, the district says she admitted to drinking while teaching at Grant Elementary. In order to save her job, Bowman signed a last chance agreement something the district says is not common.

Since then the district urged Bowman at least 3 times to seek help including once in October 2015 when a school custodian noted Bowman's confusion over what time of day it was.

Bowman asked the custodian why they were there during the day when it was the evening.

During the latest incident, administrators say Bowman denied being drunk but eventually admitted to it.

But now it appears Bowman's fight is not over; she filed an appeal requesting a closed hearing.

In her appeal letter, Bowman does not list an attorney but told the district to contact the teacher’s union.

The union did not return our calls on Tuesday.