Want to kill children,' writes teacher, frightens students; resigns

Commerce City: A school teacher in Colorado, the United States, had to resign after he wrote "I want to kill children" in the classroom, The Washington Post has reported.

Kris Burghart, an eighth grade teacher at Otho E Stuart Middle School in Commerce City, resigned after an internal investigation looked into the matter.

The incident, which took place on December 1, came into notice after a student took a picture of the message and shared it with school officials, according to Denver Post.

"Silent reading . . . I want to kill children but I am a loving Christian man who never would hurt a flee [sic] so please sit down and read," the teacher wrote in a message.

School officials said his message, which he displayed on a projector screen, was inappropriate and it "frightened" some of the students in his class.

Principal Fabricio Velez, in a letter addressing parents, assured that the students were not in any danger, Fox31 reported.

"Please know that we take any allegations concerning the safety and security of our Raptors very seriously," Velez said in the note, which was posted on the school's Facebook page. "Please also understand that in cases such as this, I'm not always able to communicate with you in a timely manner. But, I can assure you that no student was in danger at any time."

Burghart went on an administrative leave on Tuesday and resigned on Friday, according to a School District 27J spokesman.

"It is my firm belief that at no time, under any circumstance is it acceptable to threaten harm to our students – not as a teaching tool, not as venting frustration, not as a joke," School District 27J Superintendent Chris Fiedler wrote to parents late last week in a letter about the matter. "I want to inform you that Mr. Burghart has resigned from his duties as a 27J teacher effective immediately."

"He is a very well-liked teacher, so it is unfortunate, but we don't stand for anyone making threatening remarks," district spokeswoman Tracy Rudnick told the Denver Post.

Fox News affiliate KDVR posted a picture of the message on Twitter and quoted one parent lambasting Burghart.

"We all have bad days, but as a person in a position of trust with our students, it doesn't matter how bad your day is," one parent said, according to the news station. "You don't speak that way. You don't write that way."

However, many others came out in his support.

"This is truly unfortunate. Stuart lost a great teacher," one woman wrote on the school's Facebook page.

“He’s the greatest teacher at this school in my opinion,” another parent said.

Burghart, who accepted the allegation, has not commented further.