Tampabay: Pipe bomb lesson spells trouble

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Pipe bomb lesson spells trouble

A Pinellas County teacher faces a possible 10-day suspension because officials say he took his class discussion topic too far.

By SHELBY OPPEL

PALM HARBOR -- The massacre at Columbine High School stunned classrooms around the country. Fourteen students and a teacher dead, a campus littered with homemade bombs, a nation in shock.

At Palm Harbor University High, Timothy Falls' social studies classes were no exception.

But instead of just discussing the Colorado rampage, Falls showed his students how to make a pipe bomb and explained where it should be placed at the school to cause maximum damage, an attorney for the Pinellas school district said Tuesday.

The discussion occurred in several of Falls' classes April 21, the day after the Littleton, Colo., shootings, a district investigation showed. Superintendent Howard Hinesley has recommended that the School Board suspend Falls for 10 days without pay.

Falls, 38, has requested a hearing to appeal the suspension, said Jacqueline Spoto, staff attorney for the district. Within four to six months, Spoto said, an administrative law judge will hear the appeal and endorse or reject Hinesley's recommendation.

Ultimately, it will be up to the School Board to decide if the suspension is appropriate.

Falls did not return calls to his Clearwater home Tuesday. A woman who identified herself as his wife said district officials have told him not to comment.

Jade Moore, executive director of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, said Falls has joined the union since the incident.

Moore said he did not know details, but wondered if district officials may be overreacting.

"If he advocated building a pipe bomb, that would be one thing. Or if the students were prone to do that, that's one thing. But explaining it, discussing it -- that's topical," Moore said.

"It sounds to me like he was probably exercising his First Amendment right to academic freedom."

Falls has discussed the matter with Mark Herdman, an attorney who often represents teachers at the union's expense. But Herdman said Tuesday he has not decided whether he will take the case.

According to a narrative provided in a board agenda item, Falls began a discussion about Columbine in several of his classes. He called the shootings "a travesty" and "emphasized the importance of (students) being aware of their surroundings," the item said.

The classes also discussed "hate talk" and Falls encouraged students to report "any unusual activities or individuals at school."

Then, at students' request, Falls drew a diagram of a pipe bomb on the chalkboard "and described its components in detail," the item said.

". . . Mr. Falls and his students discussed the accessibility and vulnerability of all schools. Mr. Falls initiated a discussion explaining to students exactly where a pipe bomb should be placed at Palm Harbor University High School in order to maximize impact and why such a placement would be most effective in causing injury or harm," the item said.

The Columbine shootings set off several weeks of copycat rumors and bomb scares at schools across the Tampa Bay area and the nation.

Last month, Palm Harbor University High administrators canceled student performances of the Woody Allen comedy, Don't Drink the Water, which includes slapstick gags with a revolver and a bomb. They worried those elements might provoke violence or appear insensitive after the shootings.

Spoto said officials learned of Falls' discussion from a parent who contacted school administrators. Alec Liem, the principal, district investigators and Hinesley decided a 10-day suspension was adequate, Spoto said.

Falls will not serve the suspension unless the board approves it. Regular classes do not resume until August. Liem and Hinesley could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Falls served in the Air Force from 1979 until 1994, according to district personnel records. He was hired as a substitute teacher in August 1994 and became a full-time teacher that month at Clearwater High School, where he also coached the boy's soccer team.

He transferred to Palm Harbor University High in August 1998. Recent evaluations show he has met or exceeded expectations in all areas, Spoto said. If the board approves the suspension, Falls would lose $143 per day, or $1,430.

Board member Jane Gallucci said she had received several phone calls from parents who were upset about Falls' actions.

"'I can tell you that I certainly didn't think it was appropriate," Gallucci said. "I realize the kids can get (the information), but let's not give it to them."

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