Threats

South teacher asked to leave campus

A South Albany High School teacher was asked to leave campus this week after allegedly making a threatening comment about Principal Chris Equinoa and mentioning the massacre at Virginia Tech.

A district investigation into the comments is a “personnel matter” and thus confidential, Maria Delapoer, director of human resources for Greater Albany Public Schools, said Friday.

Albany police are working on a report about the incident that led to the teacher’s removal but do not at this point think anything criminal occurred, said Capt. Eric Carter.

The comments under investigation allegedly were made by a first-year Spanish teacher, Lourdes Rios Sylvestre. Sylvestre, a full-time teacher, was hired at the start of the current school year. She does not have a listed telephone number and could not be reached for comment.

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Thursday morning, Principal Equinoa called Officer Ken Fandrem, the school resource officer, and said he had been the target of a threatening comment.

Carter said Equinoa told Fandrem the school would handle the incident internally but wanted the officer to be available if necessary.

Fandrem stayed in South’s main office area that morning while school officials spoke with Sylvestre. He did not formally escort her from the building but “made sure she got in her car and left,” Carter said.

“We learned afterwards that Wednesday afternoon, the teacher made comments to co-workers about wanting to kill Chris Equinoa,” Carter said. He said Sylvestre also was alleged to have said something about understanding “how a Virginia Tech-type situation happens.”

Not a good idea....

Suburban Vancouver drama teacher has pupils re-enact Virginia Tech massacre

A drama teacher at a suburban Vancouver elementary school is expressing regret for having her students re-enact the Virginia Tech massacre.

The principal at South Park elementary school in Delta says the teacher has used topical news events as the basis for her plays in the past.

But this time Doug Thomson agrees with some students and parents who say she went too far.

The Grade 6 and Grade 7 students were asked to play roles from Monday's massacre in which a mentally ill student gunned down 32 students and teachers at the U.S. college before killing himself.

Thomson says one group of three boys depicted a shooting.

A young Korean girl was apparently most upset. The Virginia Tech shooter was Korean-American.

Thomson says the teacher has been advised she made a huge error in judgment and has expressed remorse.

"This was a completely inappropriate lesson for this particular group of children," the principal said Friday.