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Shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, members of the sheriff's office received a call regarding multiple stabbings at Green Valley Elementary School from a caller who was reportedly instructed by a teacher to do so.
Upon arrival, deputies were able to quickly ascertain that there were no stabbings, but 27 fifth-grade students and one teacher had gone missing.
The investigation determined that the call regarding the stabbings came from the Buzz Cafe on Fingerboard Road in Monrovia, where the teacher and students were ultimately located.
According to the sheriff's office, deputies responded to both scenes immediately, while the elementary school was put into lockdown.
At approximately 1:35 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, the 27 students were bussed back to Green Valley Elementary School, at which point the lockdown was lifted, the school was placed in a “hold” and then “secure” status.
Students were dismissed normally to parents or on buses, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputies placed the teacher who took the students to the café into custody, which does not mean criminally arrested or charged, and she was not handcuffed, according to investigators.
They also transported the teacher to the Frederick Health Hospital for an evaluation, though her status was not available on Friday, Nov. 4.
The initial investigation into the incident determined that the teacher used her school-issued walkie-talkie to get permission to go outside for class, though she never got a reply and believed the school was “eerily quiet,” according to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.
“As part of her teaching in emergency management procedures and following the avoid, deny, defend tactics, she leads the children through the woods and .70 of a mile up the road to The Buzz café,” according to investigators.
“As they are walking through the woods, she has the children remove any brightly colored clothing or accessories and removes her own brightly colored shirt to avoid detection."
Once at the cafe, investigators say that she had store employees call 911 to report multiple stabbings at the school before getting on the phone herself to explain what she thought had happened.
“At this time, (Frederick County Public Schools) and (the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office) are conducting a joint investigation, and the (sheriff’s office) is working with the state’s attorney’s office to determine if charges are forthcoming.”
It remains unclear why the teacher made the call about multiple stabbings, according to investigators.
Officials said that it is unclear if there will be any discipline for the teacher coming from the school district. They also made note that school administrators and the Green Valley Elementary School staff held a meeting on Friday with the families of the 27 students.
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