Student Accused of Making Classroom Threat With Cookie
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — A sixth-grader was suspended after school officials accused him of threatening to expose a highly allergic teacher to peanut butter cookies, the boy’s father said Thursday.
Loubert Gabriel said his son, 12-year-old Jules, had been kept out of class since April 2, after a girl in his social studies class at South Orange Middle School told the teacher that Jules had made the threat.
The father said Jules was carrying a snack packet of Nutter Butter cookies and made a comment about having “something dangerous†but never said he had a weapon. “They mishandled this,†Gabriel said.
Gabriel said the boy has not been allowed to return to classes pending a May 13 hearing by the district. The family had believed the suspension would be for 10 days, he said.
School Supt. Peter Horoschak said several classmates who were interviewed said the boy -- with the teacher out of the room -- waved the cookie over his head and said he would use it against the teacher as protection from receiving detention.
Horoschak and the school principal planned to meet with the boy and his parents today.
Gabriel said the teacher was not exposed to the cookies and had no reaction.
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