AURORA | A first-year math teacher at Overland High School is under investigation for a Twitter account that indicated she had marijuana on school grounds and included revealing photos.
According to Cherry Creek Schools District spokeswoman Tustin Amole, 23-year-old math teacher Carly McKinney met with district administrators and Overland staff this morning after a 9News report revealed the Twitter account, titled CarlyCrunkBear. The account included revealing pictures of McKinney, as well as references to her having marijuana in her car that was parked on school grounds. The account was deleted Monday night.
McKinney has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Amole added.
According to the report, McKinney claimed that others had access to the account and posted pictures and status updates.
Amole said that while a personal social media account falls under First Amendment rights and free speech, the references to drug use on campus are another issue.
“Our concern is if she violated district policy or law based on some of the things she’s posted,” Amole said. “This is new territory. This is something that everybody is coming to grips with.”
The Twitter account also included hints that McKinney was posting during school hours, another violation of district policy.
“During work hours, she’s supposed to be doing district work,” Amole said. “Those are the things that we are investigating.”
McKinney met with district officials this morning, but a final decision about her future at the school is still pending, Amole said.