ELBA, N.Y. – Parents and a school board member foiled a plot by a group of 4th graders to kill their teacher.



Police say a group of three students hatched a plan to put anti-bacterial products – specifically hand sanitizer – around the classroom because she “is highly allergic to them,” according to NBC 2.

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When the students were questioned – with their parents and school administrators present – one girl allegedly said the teacher “yells at us and that the class has problems with her.”

There are accusations of bullying in the teacher’s classroom. The sheriff’s incident report states the children “had problems working together.”

Elba Superintendent Jerome Piwko released a statement saying:

It has been widely reported that certain fourth grade students had been discussing a way to harm a teacher in the Elba Central School District. This event has been a shock to our community and school. The District cannot comment on the specifics of this event, including discipline, as the information is protected from disclosure under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The reports in the media and on social media do not accurately reflect the entire event.

A school board member contacted police after she heard of the plan from another parent and her son.

Mike Hare, an Elba parent, tells WHEC, “We know some of the parents and the children and we’re disappointed in it.”

He adds, “Part of me wants to take it and say it’s just kid shooting their mouths off doing what kids do, but to take action as they did – it’s a little extreme.”

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ABC 7 reports at least one parent said the children knew “the teacher could become very sick from contact with hand sanitizer.”

While several parents reportedly knew of the scheme, only one contacted the school.

Administrators say the sheriff’s department has closed its case and the school district is taking over the investigation.

“The District does not condone any of the behaviors that have been reported and is in the process of working alongside the Sheriff’s Department to use this incident as a vehicle for educating the District’s students regarding appropriate behaviors,” Piwko’s statement concludes.