A No-Class Operation

Steve Satterwhite

"That school is ridiculous," claims Walter Phillips. "There are a handful of good teachers. They just dogged."

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More About

• Charles Bradley
• Walter Phillips
• Carolyn Kaloostian
• Police
• Law

By late October 1999, the Mays Middle administrators had finally dotted all the i's, and crossed all the t's in creating the paper trail they needed to fire Bradley. He was first reassigned to the region and then dismissed November 17, for "unsatisfactory performance" and "gross insubordination." He filed an administrative appeal the next week. Two and a half weeks later, a bomb threat was called in to Mays Middle. A charge of "immorality" was added to the school district's laundry list against Bradley. It was dropped after the criminal case against him was closed.

Prosecutors and police are keeping theories about the bomb threat to themselves but, perhaps stung a little by their performances on the Bradley case, promise this investigation is being taken seriously. "We're certainly working actively on this to bring it to closure," says Assistant State Attorney Joe Centorino. Phillips denies he made the false bomb threat and says he doesn't owe anyone further explanation -- not Bradley and not Cooper. As to who did it, he says, "I'm curious myself."