Macomb Co. teacher expected to be charged with writing notes threatening school violence

St. Clair Shores — A middle school teacher is expected be arraigned Monday after she allegedly was captured on video slipping notes under the office doors of multiple faculty members threatening school violence, the acting Macomb County prosecutor said.

Jefferson Middle School staff discovered the notes at about 7:30 a.m. Friday and alerted St. Clair Shores police, according to a police department press release. Following a review of school surveillance video, the teacher was arrested, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said Saturday.

Lucido said the woman is in the Macomb County Jail while police continue investigating the case. By Monday, Lucido said he expects police to submit a warrant seeking criminal charges, although he didn't say which charges might be brought.

"We're going to arraign her Monday, although we're still working on the investigation," Lucido said. "There's enough evidence to charge her with several crimes. We'll have the exact charges by Monday. It's different than the other cases we've seen with students making threats, because this is an adult.

"You've got notes being thrown under staff members' office doors, and it's all on video," Lucido said. "The question becomes why? I've had to take a zero tolerance policy on students calling in threats; now we have to worry about a teacher?

"This doesn't reflect on all teachers; it's only one teacher — but don't we have enough problems in schools right now?"

In a statement Friday, Lakeview Public Schools Superintendent Karl Paulson said: “One of the notes appeared to be an attempt at making a false threat in the hope of closing school."

The statement added: "Based on the facts, information and timeline, the team was confident everyone was safe, and there was no need for initiating any lockdown or other safety protocols."

Lucido said there still are many unanswered questions in the case. 

"The question now becomes why? What was the reason this teacher was putting notes under the doors of staff members? It was more than one note," Lucido said. "I guess you'd have to get a crystal ball to find out why she'd do something like this."

Lucido added: "Of course, she's innocent until proven guilty, and all of this will come out in court. But this doesn't help with everything that's been going on recently. If you've got teachers making threats, how safe do you think the parents are going to think that school is?

"There's so much I want to know," Lucido said. "Was she acting alone? Was anyone else involved? And what was the reason? I mean, you're an adult; you're supposed to be there for our children during a difficult time, and you're creating more problems."

Since the Nov. 30 fatal shooting at Oxford High School that resulted in the deaths of four students and seven other injuries, dozens of juveniles have been charged with making threats of school violence.

"We've seen this a lot with students," Lucido said. "But this is the first time I've seen it with a teacher."

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