Saturday, April 26, 2008

Test results inconclusive as to whether LLHS teacher's coffee tampered with

Kenn Rodriguez News-Bulletin Staff Writer; krodriguez@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas An investigation into whether a Los Lunas High School teacher's coffee drink was tampered with in November has turned up no results, said district Superintendent Walt Gibson.

"The tests came back inconclusive," Gibson said of testing that was done by the State Crime Lab subsequent to the incident on Nov. 2, 2007. "Nothing showed up - absolutely nothing."

A first-year teacher at LLHS reported on Nov. 5, the Monday after the incident, that he was not feeling well and experienced lightheadedness and felt incoherent on the Friday of the incident. A second teacher reported feeling similar symptoms that Monday, and school officials took samples of the coffee and coffee grounds as well as the coffee pot itself and the teachers' cups.

Students were also subsequently questioned as well, Deputy Superintendent Bernard Saiz said in November.

Rumors swirled in subsequent days about what had happened, but no conclusive evidence ever arose as to why the teachers took ill.

Saiz did say that the initial instructor, who teaches social studies at LLHS, has a pre-existing medical condition that could've been a factor but no link was ever established by school officials.

"The coffee grounds, the coffee cup, nothing came back positive - zero," said Gibson. "So we don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."

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