COCOA, Fla. -- A former Teacher of the Year at Challenger 7 Elementary in Cocoa has been suspended for 30 days for having alcohol at his home that was consumed by a 17-year-old female student.

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Brevard school board is expected to ratify the 30-day suspension that the state's Education Practices Commission gave Russell John Othmer from June 12 until Saturday, Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported.

Othmer's certificate will be reinstated by the time classes resume July 21 at Challenger 7, a year-round school. The School Board simply needs to officially approve the state commission's decision, and couldn't until now because the board was not in session. All of Othmer's 14 years at Brevard Public Schools have been with Challenger 7.

Othmer, 36, of Titusville, told Florida Today that he had about four men in their 20s at his house in the early morning hours of Aug. 13, 2006. One of the men invited the 17-year-old teen, whom Othmer did not know, to the house. While there, the teen consumed alcohol.

When her mother found out about the incident, she contacted authorities, Othmer said. He was charged with contributing to the delinquency and dependency of a minor or child. However, the charge was dropped after Othmer completed a pre-trial intervention program, records show.

"I take full responsibility for the incident," Othmer said. "I'm a better person because of it and hope that I can learn from my mistakes and continue to be an important part of Brevard schools."

The teen's parents have since shown support for Othmer, even writing a letter to the school board asking that he not lose his teaching certificate.

"Russell understands the decision he made was clearly wrong, and he has learned a valuable lesson from it," the letter stated. "We do not wish for this young man to lose what he has worked so hard for. He is not a bad person. He made an unwise decision."

Brevard Public Schools froze Othmer's salary for one year beginning Sept. 21, 2006, and placed him on probation for the remainder of the school year and the following year.

"He has taken full responsibility for a poor decision and we're confident that he is moving forward to continue to be an excellent teacher," said Wes Sumner, Brevard Public Schools spokesman.

Othmer was selected as Challenger 7's Teacher of the Year for the 1999-2000 school year when he was a physical education teacher.

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