The Goddard School Gina Schroeder, New Jersey preschool teacher charged with shooting threats.
Gina Schroeder is a former New Jersey preschool teacher charged with threatening to shoot up her school, the North Jersey Record reported.
Schroeder, 39, was charged with making terroristic threats and illegal possession of prescription drugs after she threatened to “shoot up” The Goddard School, a private preschool and daycare.
Police seized three legally owned guns from her home and arrested her on Friday.
Schroeder was immediately fired from the school after her arrest.
She was released from Bergen County Jail on Wednesday.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Gina Schroeder Threatened to ‘Shoot Up’ The School
Schroeder, who lives in Nutley, told a colleague Friday, “One day, I’m gonna come here and shoot it up,” The North Jersey Record reported.
Employees at the school reported the comment and the school was immediately placed on lockdown.
Police searched the school and Schroeder’s car for weapons but did not find any.
2. Police Seized Three Guns From Schroeder’s Home
Police seized three guns from Schroeder’s home after the comment.
Police Chief Michael Foligno told the North Jersey Record that Schroeder told the colleague she had three guns when she made the threat.
The guns were all legally owned, Foligno said.
3. Schroeder Was Charged With Terroristic Threats
Schroeder was arrested and booked into Bergen County Jail.
She was charged with making terroristic threats and illegal possession of prescription drugs, after officers apparently found illicit meds during their search.
She was released from jail on Wednesday, records showed.
4. Schroeder Was Immediately Fired From The School
Schroeder, who worked as a lead teacher in an infant classroom since 2016, was immediately fired by the school.
The Goddard School is a chain of private preschool and daycare facilities with locations in Elmwood Park, Garfield, Clifton, Saddle Brook, and Fair Lawn.
Schroeder had worked in early education since 1999. She graduated from Essex Community College with an associate’s degree in early childhood and elementary education.
“The safety of our students is our number one priority and we took immediate and deliberate steps to contact the police as soon as we learned that the former teacher had made some concerning comments,” said Olga Dubinsky, the owner of The Goddard School in Elmwood Park. “She was also terminated immediately. Our students and staff were safe at all time and we acted out of an overabundance of caution.”
5. Parents Still Worried After Schroeder Released, Security Beefed Up
Two Elmwood Park Police officers were stationed at the school Wednesday as parents remained on high alert.
“We feel like, we don’t know if we should keep our child here,” one parent told The North Jersey Record. “Sooner or later she’ll get out and we don’t know what she’s going to do.”
“It’s scary and shocking,” said another parent, whose child was one of Schroeder’s students. “I would’ve never suspected. We heard she was released and that’s very concerning – we don’t know who the anger was directed at – the boss, fellow employees, the children?”
“I was shocked and felt a wide variety of emotions when I heard about it,” parent Sonia Malcolm said. “Whenever you hear about school shootings or any mass shootings, you always hear that the person was behaving weird or saying weird things. Goddard addressed this immediately and that makes me comfortable.”
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