Jeff Scheidemantel

Oak Creek High School chemistry teacher James Buss screwed up his life when he took leave of his senses by leaving threatening comments referencing the Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as heroes. Buss' game on Boots and Sabers resulted in his arrest.

It's hard to say if Buss will be charged for his online activities. It's even harder to predict if he'll be fired from his teaching job.


Now another high school chemistry teacher has been caught behaving badly.

Jeff Scheidemantel's problems dwarf those of Buss.

BAKERSFIELD -- A high school chemistry teacher has been arrested on charges that he made methamphetamine at a local high school.
Jeff Scheidemantel, 32, of Bakersfield was arrested Saturday, according to Bakersfield Police Department spokesman Sgt. Greg Terry.

Scheidemantel is a chemistry teacher at Shafter High School. He was arrested after a joint methamphetamine task force learned he had used the Internet to order red phosphorus from an overseas source, according to the Bakersfield Police Department.

"Red phosphorus is a necessary, critical element essential to the manufacture of methamphetamine," according to a BPD statement.

"Officers executed a search warrant at Scheidemantel's residence and high school chemistry lab," the statement said.

"Several recipes describing different ways to manufacture methamphetamine, computer equipment storing the same or similar information, and several firearms were seized from his residence," the statement says.

The county's emergency meth lab team "was sent to Shafter High School and they located a cache of precursor chemicals necessary for manufacturing methamphetamine," the statement said.

"A quantity of chemicals was located in Scheidemantel's classroom, indicating he had engaged in a manufacturing effort at the school," it said.

...A district spokesman said Scheidemantel is on paid administrative leave, and said he started teaching with the Kern High School District in 2003, worked the school year, and then left for two years.

He began teaching for the district again at Shafter High School in 2006.

Scheidemantel allegedly was making meth in his classroom and he's on PAID leave.

That's a sweet deal, a union deal no doubt.

Why hasn't he been fired yet?

Will he continue to be paid until a jury finds him guilty?

You'd think that he would be canned rather than still getting checks, courtesy of taxpayers.

As with Buss' case, Scheidemantel's online activities provide some damning evidence.

"He was arrested after a joint methamphetamine task force learned he had used the Internet to order red phosphorus from an overseas source."

Do you want to bet that Scheidemantel thought he was ordering the red phosphorus with some degree of anonymity?

This is another instance of someone thinking that what happens on the Internet stays on the Internet.

IT DOESN'T.

Other evidence against Scheidemantel includes "[s]everal recipes describing different ways to manufacture methamphetamine" and "computer equipment storing the same or similar information."

Those darn computers again!

Scheidemantel does not belong in a classroom teaching kids.

How could he be so stupid to think that he could get away with what he was doing?

Scheidemantel will no doubt be charged; and unlike Buss, he'll be charged with far worse than disorderly conduct.

Bottom line: Chemistry teacher Buss' online behavior could be career ending.

Scheidemantel's alleged "fun with chemistry" should, without question, be the end of his teaching career.