Western Heights Teacher Resigns Following Drug Arrest Investigation

A follow up background check on a newly-hired teacher alerts a district to some alarming details. The Western Heights Public Schools teacher resigned Monday after being confronted about a recent drug arrest.

Jennifer Culbreth was arrested back in June on a drug trafficking charge. Three months later she was hired as a teacher at Bridgestone Intermediate School, but district officials were unaware of that investigation until now.

A letter received Monday by Western Heights Public Schools administration, began the investigation into newly hired teacher Jennifer Culbreth.

“At that point we knew we need to do some investigating in the matter. We worked very quickly to look into it,” said Brayden Savage, Western Heights Public Schools.

The letter updated the district on Culbreth's "new felony charges in June of 2015". She and another man were arrested in early June at their Yukon home for drug trafficking charges.

Prior to that arrest, Culbreth received her teaching certification in 2013 with the intention of working for Western Heights Public Schools.  At that time, a background check was performed by the OSBI.

“It is standard practice, they have to do a background check with the OSBI, get a finger printing background check,” she said.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education told News 9 as part of their policy, they notified the district about Culbreth's arrest back in June.

But Savage said Culbreth wasn't employed by the district then, she wasn't hired until September.

“The other information we had, we had no idea that it was on there so it was good that the state department made us aware of the situation,” she said.

Culbreth resigned on Monday when the district learned of its September 2nd background check results.

Investigators say they are waiting on results from the crime lab before filing formal charges with the Oklahoma County District Attorney's office.

Culbreth's students are now spilt up between other teachers until a replacement is hired.