Fayetteville Today

When June Callender’s daughter came home from school and said her teacher had called her dumb, the Fayetteville, North Carolina, mother brought it to the attention of school officials, but no disciplinary action was taken against the teacher.

“She did not deny that she was saying those things,” Callender told CBS 17. “She said it was part of her culture.”

Now, things have come full circle, Callender said, as the teacher has been suspended with pay after being arrested in a drug bust, CBS 17 reported.

The E. Melvin Honeycutt Elementary teacher was one of two people arrested Friday and charged with trafficking methamphetamine, according to the news report.

Cumberland County School officials issued a statement about the arrest.

"The arrest did not take place on the school campus and students were not made aware of this situation,” the school district said. “We take this situation very seriously, and while these allegations are very disappointing, they do not overshadow the work that our employees do on a daily basis to help students succeed in the classroom and beyond.”

The district performs “extensive” background checks on future employees before they’re hired, the district stated. Ethics training is also required for all new hires.

Callender said the arrest is fitting.

“To be honest I was happy because I felt like they were not taking her out of the classroom, therefore a higher power had to do it,” she told CBS 17.