Bomb threats are becoming an unfortunately common issue for schools around the country, but allegations that a teacher was responsible for a threat make one case particularly troubling.
A special education teacher in western Massachusetts plead not guilty to charges of making a bomb threat July 13.
Police say Tina Fisher, 46, left a note in her classroom at Ludlow High School Dec. 2, forcing an evacuation of the school, reports masslive.com. Classes were able to resume an hour after the threat was discovered following a brief police sweep of the building.
Ludlow School Superintendant Todd Gazda says Fisher was immediately placed on administrative leave after the incident.
Fisher was accused of the same crime at her previous job at East Street Elementary School in 2006. That case was thrown out by a judge who disallowed video surveillance evidence to be used in court.
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The 2006 footage showed Fisher and the threatening note, but not Fisher with the note.
Fisher was reinstated as a special education teacher in 2007 and began working at Ludlow the same year.
“I realize that these situations create a great deal of anxiety for parents and students, but please know that the safety of our students is always our primary concern,” Gazda said in a statement. “I would like to thank the Ludlow Police department, particularly Detective Lou Tulik, along with the State police and the District Attorney’s office for their efforts.”
A judge at Hampden Superior Court ordered Fisher to be released on her own recognizance, although she was also instructed to report to the Ludlow Police Department to get fingerprinted and photographed.
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