By Brian Lockhart
In what a teacher's union spokesman called an “unusual incident” for city schools, a 14-year-old student was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly threatening the lives of a dean, two assistant principals and three of her teachers at JHS 189 in Flushing beginning in January.
“Schools often get bomb threats or threats might be made against no one in particular at a school,” said Ron Davis, a spokesman for the United Federation of Teachers, the union which represents the victims.
“It's not very often you get individual, targeted death threats coming into a school, especially one like this that does not have a history of safety problems,” he said.
“So this is an unusual incident,” Davis said.
Some members of the media were quick to point out that the arrest came just weeks before the one-year anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado on April 20. There have been several other incidents of school violence across the nation by troubled youth since then.
JHS 189 is located at 144 -80 Barclay Ave.
Alan Krawitz, a Police Department spokesman, said on Jan. 27, JHS 189's dean received a threatening phone call, followed by a threatening letter in her school mailbox on Jan. 28.
On Feb. 9, Krawitz said another letter was received by the dean.
“Then, fast forward to April 4, a letter was found on the floor in front of another teacher's office threatening the dean again and three other teachers in the school,” Krawitz said.
The police spokesman said on April 5, the unidentified eighth-grader – a 14-year-old girl – was arrested following an investigation and charged with four counts of aggravated harassment.
The case is heading for family court and Davis said police were still seeking other suspects as of Tuesday.
Davis said the dean was reassigned to the school district's offices following the January phone call and the other staff were similarly reassigned as the threats mounted. All but one teacher had returned to JHS 189 by Tuesday, Davis said.
He also said security was heightened at the school during the investigation.
Davis confirmed reports the suspect was a student in the three teacher's classes and that the notes also threatened two assistant principals.
He said police traced the phone call to the dean back to a pay phone a few blocks away from the school.
Police had no motive, but Davis also said all six of the suspect's alleged targets had addressed her unknown behavioral problems.
Davis said the suspect faces a suspension of between five days and a year, but that the UFT would prefer a different penalty.
“We would like to see this student placed in an alternative education setting where she can get an education as well as whatever help she might need,” he said.
