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Teacher's 'Hispanic Hate' Letter Sparks Death Threats

POSTED: Tuesday, August 23, 2005
UPDATED: 6:57 am EDT August 24,2005

Orange County Schools Superintendent Ron Blocker has received several death threats Tuesday over a school teacher's letter critical of Hispanic students and teachers, Local 6 News has learned.

  • Orange County elementary school teacher Jan Hall.

    At least five phone calls threatening Blocker have come into the school district headquarters in Orange County since Tuesday morning.


    VIDEO: See The Story
    VIDEO: Teacher Suspended

    "Each time the calls have basically said, 'There will be trouble if Jan Hall is not allowed to return to her job as teacher at Sadler Elementary School,'" Local 6 News reporter Nancy Alvarez said.

    Since the letter was recently made public in a Central Florida Spanish newspaper, several people have called for Hall's removal.

  • Orange County Schools Superintendent Ron Blocker.

    Hall's letter, written to a congressman, said Hispanics are causing American students to fall behind in school and asked for laws to be changed to prevent Puerto Ricans from coming to Orlando because they are "destroying the city every day," Local 6 News reported.

    Some residents say she had the right to express her opinion and others call her a racist who does not belong around children.

    The school district's attorney called the letter the most disruptive issue the district has ever dealt with.

    Last week, Sadler Elementary received a bomb threat related to the letter.

    The district is taking the threats against Blocker seriously, Local 6 News reported.

    Detectives are trying to trace the calls Tuesday afternoon.

    Tuesday night, school board members will decide whether or not to keep Hall on suspension without pay until the investigation is over or to dismiss her.

    The School Board's attorney is reportedly looking into Hall's teaching records, grade books and discipline records to see if there was a pattern of bias, Local 6 News reported.

    The Spanish newspaper that published the letter is not saying where they got the letter. However, they said it was supposed to be confidential and was addressed to a congressman, Local 6 News reported.

    Several parents are expected to attend Tuesday night's meeting at 5:30 p.m. Orlando police officers will be at the meeting as well, Local 6 News has learned.

    Watch Local 6 News for the latest on this story.

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