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Sgt. Phil Esterhaus always concluded his beginning-of-shift message to the Hill Street patrol squad with a heartfelt “Hey–Let’s Be Careful Out There.”*

That’s a warning that many educators and administrators would be wise to heed as they conduct more of their business online.

Case in point: Catskill (N.Y.) Superintendent Kathleen P. Farrell. According to The New York Times, Farrell was having an ongoing tussle with teachers over whether it was permissible to prop their classroom doors open. Safety and fire codes said no, but oppressive temperatures and lack of air conditioning were prompting teachers to do so anyway.

So Farrell vented a little…well, a lot…as she pondered solutions in an e-mail message to the district’s director of facilities, John Willabay. It included this killer quote: “Please go KILL these people….Please, please, please.”

When she clicked on the “send” button, the message also found its way to, among others, Terri Dubuke, a sixth-grade teacher who was one of the critics. Oops.

Farrell, has apologized to Ms. Dubuke, but other district teachers still are upset about the superintendent’s rant and want her to apologize to all teachers.

(*Obscure 1980s pop culture reference)