Teacher crashes car at school, gets charged with DUI between classes, FL cops say

The second day of classes at a Florida elementary school turned chaotic when a teacher crashed his car in the parking lot, then got arrested, according to investigators.

Language arts teacher Philip Scire is accused of being intoxicated at the time of the single-car wreck, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 13 news release.

It happened around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, and ended with Scire facing a DUI charge, the sheriff’s office reports.

“Deputies responded to the campus of Explorer K-8 in Spring Hill in reference to a single-vehicle crash involving a teacher at the school. The school resource deputy was the first on scene and found Philip Scire ... had driven his vehicle into a fence located in the rear parking lot of the school,” the sheriff’s office said

“The deputy noted he found Scire unconscious, sitting behind the steering wheel with the vehicle still in gear. The deputy also observed several empty single-serving alcohol containers within reach of Scire.”

He was taken to a hospital for evaluation, and noted to be smelling of alcohol, officials said. Investigators did not report Scire suffered any injuries.

“The deputy made numerous attempts to obtain consent from Scire to submit to a blood draw to determine his blood alcohol content and whether he was under the influence of any chemical substances. Scire declined to provide a sample,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Once cleared by the hospital, Scire was charged with one count of driving under the influence and bond was set at $1,000.”

Scire teaches language arts to students in grades six through eight, the school’s website reports.

The Hernando County School District issued a statement noting the crash was initially attributed to “a medical situation.”

“The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the ongoing investigation,” the district told McClatchy News.

Explorer K-8 has just over 1,600 students in pre-k through grade eight, according to USNews.com.

Spring Hill is about a 50-mile drive north from Tampa.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 6:29 AM with the headline "Teacher crashes car at school, gets charged with DUI between classes, FL cops say."