Student Faces Inquiry in Alleged Threat to Teacher

A local high school student is facing possible criminal charges and expulsion after allegedly threatening a Jewish teacher in an anti-Semitic e-mail.

The girl, who was not identified because she is a minor, will not return to Bolsa Grande High School next week when school starts, said a spokesman for the Garden Grove Unified School District. She still faces review from a disciplinary committee and the Board of Education to determine whether she will be banned permanently from school.

Although no criminal charges have been filed, an investigation is underway, said Mike Fell, Orange County’s senior deputy district attorney in charge of prosecuting hate crimes.

A copy of the alleged e-mail provided by the Anti-Defamation League reads like a rambling stream of consciousness, dotted with ellipses and written entirely in lowercase letters. There are threats of physical violence, and mentions of the girl’s Christianity and her hatred for the teacher’s religion.

The teacher, who was not identified because of safety concerns, reported the e-mail to Seal Beach police on July 26. He also contacted the Anti-Defamation League, said Joyce Greenspan, regional director of the league in Orange County.

Police and school officials should not dismiss the girl’s alleged threats, Greenspan cautioned.

“Taking things lightly is a mistake,” she said. “We’ve learned the hard way that we can’t take anything for granted.”