Olympia middle school teacher suspended after students report threat made in class

A Jefferson Middle School teacher has been suspended since students reported to their parents that he threatened students in his fifth-period classroom.

On May 20, parents reported to Olympia police that Glenn Mankus threatened to shoot two misbehaving students in his sixth-grade English class. While some students reported that Mankus said “I’m going to shoot you,” another student quoted Mankus saying, ”You guys are pissing me off, it makes me want to shoot you.”

According to the police report on the incident, Mankus was suspended the same day after he was investigated by the Olympia School District’s HR department. The police report said students were informed that Mankus would return to school on May 26. While students said Mankus did return to school that day, he left before fifth period.

An OSD spokesperson confirmed that Mankus has remained suspended since then.

“We are limited in what we can share regarding specific personnel matters, but the staff member in question remains on leave at this time,” the spokesman said. “If any parent or student has concerns about the classroom environment or feels unsafe, we encourage them to contact the school administration directly.”

The Olympian reached out to Mankus and the Olympia Education Association, the union that represents teachers, but did not receive responses.

This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.