Academy of Notre Dame Student Charged for Creating Elaborate Hoax Alleging Racism

Photo Credit: Academy of Notre Dame website

TYNGSBOROUGH, MA—A student at the Academy of Notre Dame has been charged in connection with what police say was an elaborate hoax, including a note left in a bathroom that prompted the school to close for a day.

Tyngsborough Police Chief Richard D. Howe announced Thursday that a 15-year-old Lowell girl will be charged with Disturbing a School Assembly and Criminal Harassment, with other charges potentially forthcoming. Police allege the student created an elaborate hoax including racial remarks and racist threats over social media, culminating with a note containing an unspecified threat which would happen at the school the following day, forcing the school closure.

The student was expelled as a result of the investigation, Tyngsborough Police say.

"I would like to thank Notre Dame President Maureen Appel and High School principal Helen Kay for their invaluable assistance in this investigation," Chief Howe said. "I also commend the work of Sgt. Steve Manning and Detective Sergeant Cynthia Shay who brought a resolution to this complicated case."

According to Tyngsborough Police, reports of racist messages sent over Facebook, Instagram, and the online educational tool Quizlet targeting minority students at the parochial school in town surfaced over the past several months, beginning in February. Some of the remarks included the initials of another female student.

On May 16, a threatening letter was found in a Notre Dame bathroom, alluding to an unspecified threat that would take place at school on the following day. Administrators then cancelled school for the day as a result of the letter.

An investigation into the social media posts allowed detectives to trace the content to an IP address to the suspect's home.

The suspect later confessed to the material and to putting another student's initials on the material, including the threatening note, in attempt to frame her, police say.