The film was originally to be called "Killing Mrs. Tingle". The events on 20 April 1999 at Columbine High School (Littleton, Colorado, USA) in which 13 people were murdered by two of their own classmates, prompted the name change.
After an incident similar to the Littleton school shooting occured in Germany too, the German release title was changed from 'Tötet Mrs. Tingle' (Kill Mrs. Tingle) to 'Rettet Mrs. Tingle' (Save Mrs. Tingle). However the German video release still shows 'Tötet Mrs. Tingle' on the box.
In the scene where Ms. Banks is subbing for Mrs. Tingle she tells the class that "Josephine was just a little slut-bag whore, who was leaving her panties all around town." This is very similar to a line from another Kevin Williamson movie, _Scream (1996)_. In Scream, Billy tells Sydney that her mother "was a slut-bag whore who flashed her shit all over town".