Warrant for Arrest of Teacher Who Allegedly Displayed Knife Denied

Captain Geoffrey Morgan reported this afternoon that the warrant for the arrest of a teacher who in a freshman history class at back in January was denied based on prosecutorial discretion.

On Friday, Jan. 13, just after the incident occurred, Hamlet Hernandez placed the teacher on administrative leave and notified parents of the incident via letter, which stated:

My administration learned of an incident alleging inappropriate and possibly dangerous conduct by a teacher at . While we have not concluded our investigation, preliminary information is that the teacher displayed a knife in class. It appears that the teacher’s conduct was intended as a joke. Nonetheless, [BHS Principal,] Mr. Panagoulias and his staff took immediate steps to place the teacher on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation initiated by the school district.

Given the seriousness of the incident, the administration is taking steps to mitigate the disruption to the educational process. We have been in contact with the parents of the affected students, and a substitute teacher will be assigned starting on Monday. The safety of our students is paramount; and to that end, we continue to work with the appropriate authorities to investigate this incident in a timely manner and take appropriate action as may be warranted when our investigation is complete.

Shortly after the incident,  of the teacher and sought a warrant for arrest on Jan. 17.  

Following today's denial of the warrant, it is not known if the teacher, a female, will be returning to Branford High School. Hernandez was contacted this afternoon but did not immediately returned our call.  

Patch will provide more information as it becomes available.