Two 15-year-old Springboro High School students have been charged with disorderly conduct as a result of a Facebook posting Friday night that implied that the recent school shootings in Newtown, Conn., could also happen in Springboro.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said the Springboro students were not arrested but were charged after one student posted a message on the site, and the other commented in response.
Fornshell said the initial post read: “if I see one more (expletive) post about this shooting, maybe Springboro will be as well-known as Newtown Connecticut. So please be quiet.”
The posting was reported to the school district quickly by other students, according to Superintendent Todd Petrey. The district immediately contacted police, who then went to the students’ homes to investigate.
The male students are not permitted on school property, pending the outcome of the charges. Whether they were suspended has not been determined.
Fornshell said he would not characterize their actions as credible threats – which are viewed as having the intent and the opportunity to engage in threatening or violent conduct – but one that could cause alarm and panic.
“There is not a clean statute that fits this type of scenario of veiled and implicit threats (on social media sites),” Fornshell said. “We have to work within the confines of what we’ve got.”
The students likely will receive psychological assessments and counseling to determine whether they can return to the school system, Fornshell said, adding that the students likely will receive community service if convicted.
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