Ill advised but ultimately harmless? There is a reason that the Secret Service showed up...some people are serious when they make threats against the President and they all have to be investigated. What did this idiot think was going to happen? So let's see, this teacher was trying to teach students that if you threaten someone with death, the police show up...doesn't seem like a very useful lesson to me.
What was the full text of the message that included the phrase "kill the president"? Did it reference W. or was it along the lines of "my dad got screwed by that car dealer and he'd like to "kill the president" of Ford."? or Maybe talking about a movie they saw where these guys tried to "kill the President". I don't know. I think that neither do you yet you classify it as a threat against the president.
Geez...the exercise was not that the kids should threaten the president but that by just writing the words and putting them out in a closed circle (as opposed to posting them to the WH website, and btw, he did not even instruct them to send the message to anyone at all) they will draw attention. I see value in letting our kids know that there are elements in our officialdom that are watching through the window....and as you quoted me, I said it was ill-advised. I do stop short though of saying, as others here have, that he deserved to die for his stupidity, is that what bothers you?