4th-Graders' Plot: Kill Teacher Using Hand Sanitizer

A trio of upstate New York fourth-graders allegedly wanted to kill their "mean" teacher, who they knew was allergic to hand sanitizer, the New York Daily News reports. She didn't allow its use in class, Fox News notes; that, apparently, helped lead to a plan. According to police, the kids told other students "they were going to kill (the teacher) by putting antibacterial products around the classroom," WGRZ reports. A board member heard about the alleged plot from her son, and she called police. That prompted officials to interview the Elba Elementary kids, one of whom said the teacher "yells at us and that the class has problems with her."

A chief sheriff's deputy in Genesee County tells the Daily News that officials think it was all a matter of "idle chatter." None of the children has been charged, though the school district is taking the case "very seriously," the deputy notes. The district says in a statement that it's working with parents to address the matter, the local Daily News reports; two students have reportedly been suspended, insiders tell the paper. The district says it's working with officers "to use this incident as a vehicle for educating the District's students regarding appropriate behaviors." (More New York state stories.)