Georgia teacher alleges discrimination after she was fired for DUI arrest

A Northwest Georgia woman says she was fired from her teaching job because she is a woman and an alcoholic.

Jennifer Zeigler’s dismissal followed a DUI arrest from last year. The incident happened at 6:30 a.m. as she was on her way to her teaching job at Bagley Middle School. Though Zeigler told police she had not had anything to drink, she could be seen swaying on a dash cam and a blood test showed that her alcohol content was .311 well over three times the legal limit, which can result in a DWI.

Zeigler’s DUI attorney was able to help her avoid jail time, since she agreed to plead “no contest” and participate in an alcohol treatment program along with 12 months’ probation, but the school fired her.

Zeigler has filed a lawsuit with the EEOC alleging the school fired her because she was a woman and discriminated against her because of her disability, alcoholism. She stated that two male teachers at the school also have DUIs and haven’t lost their jobs.

The school district says that Zeigler’s circumstances were different than the two men since she was on her way to the school when she was stopped for the DUI and was drunk driving three times the legal limit.

A DWI or DUI can have an adverse effect on a person’s career, making it critical that they hire a very skilled DUI lawyer. With a strong DUI defense, the offender may be able to reduce their charges and get lesser penalties.

A DUI or DWI is a serious offense and in an effort to keep the streets safe the penalties can be severe. But a DUI lawyer can help a person keep their driver’s license and prevent a jail sentence.