Mariners Elementary teacher on leave after DUI arrest
A Mariners Elementary School teacher is on leave after she was arrested last week on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials confirmed Monday that Joan Duncan, who teaches third grade at Mariners in Newport Beach, has been on leave since Feb. 27.
Newport Beach police officers responded to the area of Irvine Avenue and Mariners Drive around 3:30 p.m. that day after receiving a report that a vehicle had crashed into a pole on Irvine Avenue, said police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.
When officers arrived, they saw a Mitsubishi backing off the sidewalk. Manzella said the driver was given a field sobriety test and showed signs of alcohol consumption. Newport Beach fire officials treated the woman for injuries and took her to a hospital for evaluation.
Duncan, 57, of Costa Mesa, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Manzella said.
Duncan did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday afternoon.
Duncan has been licensed as a teacher in California since 1992, according to state records. It wasn’t clear how long she has worked for Newport-Mesa, but in 2008, she won a Teacher of the Year award at Mariners Elementary.
“Joan is an educator who makes a difference in the lives of her students and their families every day,” the Mariners Parent Teacher Assn. wrote in a 2008 newsletter.
District spokeswoman Annette Franco said a fully credentialed teacher is filling in for Duncan.
The district is “looking into the situation,” Franco said. She declined to comment further.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
