Principal Stands Behind McVeigh’s Sister as Teacher

Weddington Middle School principal Janice Hollis said she had no idea that a seventh-grade language arts teacher at the school was the sister of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy J. McVeigh. She didn’t really care, either.

“She is an outstanding teacher and she is well loved by the students and well loved by the faculty,” said Hollis. “Our concern right now is for her privacy and for the press to leave her alone.”

Jennifer Hill, who legally changed her last name from McVeigh, could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Supt. Jerry Thomas said Hill revealed her identity to officials in April, after a television crew turned up at the school.

Administrators initially honored Hill’s request to keep the information private but went public in advance of an “Inside Edition” segment on McVeigh’s family that ran Friday. Hill talked with colleagues and students about it Friday, and the school sent home a letter to parents.

Timothy McVeigh is scheduled to die June 11 for the April 1995 bombing that killed 168 people.

During his trial, Jennifer McVeigh, then 23, was granted immunity in return for her testimony. She testified that her brother grew increasingly angry about the 1993 FBI raid near Waco, Texas, started stockpiling explosives and decided to begin the “action stage.”