need to know
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A 75-year-old math interventionist was found dead inside a Baltimore elementary school on Monday, March 9
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Officials believe she died over the weekend
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Kerry-Ann Malcolm, principal at Arundel Primary School, said: “She was a pillar of the school community and well-liked by pupils and staff.”
A longtime teacher was found dead inside a Maryland elementary school, prompting administrators to send students home early.
Deborah Tolson, a 75-year-old math interventionist who worked in Baltimore for seven years, was found dead inside Arundel Elementary School on Monday morning, March 9, Fox affiliate WBFF, CBS affiliate WJZ and NBC affiliate WBAL reported.
According to reports, students were dismissed from school at 10:15 a.m. local time after the tragedy was discovered.
The coach is believed to have died over the weekend and her body was found before school started, officials told WBAL. There are no signs of foul play or trauma and the investigation is ongoing, the outlet reported.
Baltimore City Public Schools, the Baltimore Police Department and the Maryland State Department of Health’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The school’s principal, Kerry-Ann Malcolm, said in a letter shared with the school community that Tolson had worked for Baltimore City Public Schools for 23 years, WBFF reported. The educator worked at Arundel Primary School for seven years and was “a much-loved member of our school community.”
“She was a pillar of the school community and well-liked by students and staff alike,” the principal continued, according to the outlet.
Baltimore Police Department vehicles.
Photo credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty
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The district’s crisis team will be available to support students and staff.
“Our hearts and thoughts remain with Ms. Tolson’s family and friends and our entire school community during this difficult time,” Malcolm added, according to WJZ.
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