News

Father accused of threatening over 20 school employees, prompting lockdowns

LYNN, Mass. — Police tell Boston 25 News 51-year-old Michael Chiapperini of Lynn allegedly made threats against 22 Lynn Public School employees, sending four schools into lockdown.

Chiapperini's son is a student at Lynn Classical High School, one of the four schools sent into lockdown. Police say Chiapperini had been calling them and the school since the beginning of the school year angry that his son was placed there instead of Lynn Vocational Technical Institute.

"He made some threats yesterday [Tuesday] to a social worker who then contacted police and the school department and relayed those threats to us and the threats were involving school department personnel," said Lynn Police Lt. Mike Kmiec.

Police say they don't believe Chiapperini had a weapon. Still, the schools were placed on lockdown for more than an hour Tuesday.

Boston 25 News was there as Chiapperini was supposed to appear in Lynn District Court Wednesday, but instead was wheeled out into an ambulance, telling us he was being framed and needs help.

The Superintendent of Lynn Public Schools declined a Boston 25 News interview request but told us in a statement that "Student safety is our foremost concern. The actions taken yesterday are reflective of the seriousness with which we take that responsibility."

Lynn Police tell Boston 25 News Chiapperini has a lengthy criminal history that includes a previous, unrelated disturbance at a school in which he allegedly yelled at administrators and disrupted the school.