Teacher 'snorted heroin and cocaine in her classroom' while student secretly filmed

A teacher has been charged with drug possession after her students allegedly filmed her preparing and snorting drugs in the classroom between lessons.

Samantha Cox, 24, was led away from Lake Central High School, Indiana, in handcuffs after the students who took the film alerted the principal, who then called police.

The video appears to show English teacher Cox racking up a white powder in the corner of her classroom and snorting it.

"She tried to hide herself," said John Rogers, the student who took the video.

"She wasn't at her desk where we could see her. She was all the way in the corner where she thought we can't see her," he added.

Police believe the substance is a mixture of cocaine and heroin – two highly powerful, addictive, and illegal narcotics.

The video, which has been shared widely on social media has sent shockwaves around the local community

The school praised Rogers and his fellow students for going straight to the principal with the footage.

The Indiana police also commended them, with local chief James Kveton saying: "Their actions showed a tremendous amount of fortitude and integrity and enabled staff to address the situation properly."

Lake Central Superintendent Larry Veracco assured parents the school and police had taken "swift and forceful action" and that "safety remains the top priority of our school staff."

Parents interviewed outside the school were pleased at the way staff had handled the distressing incident.

Cox now faces a felony charge for drug possession and a misdemeanor charge for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Another student, Michael Sanchez, expressed concern for Cox. He said: "It is a serious thing. A lot of people can get addicted to a lot of things, and something like this is, it's very heart-breaking."