School, juvenile officials still looking at threat

~ Two boys talked about injuring a teacher with poisonous gas.

Jackson school and juvenile officials say they are still reviewing the case of two junior high school students who threatened to harm a teacher in a letter written on a school computer last week.

Jackson school officials suspended the two ninth-grade boys, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, for 10 days.

But the Jackson Junior High School students could be suspended longer or even end up being charged in juvenile court, officials said Tuesday.

The boys also could be placed on supervised probation and ordered to undergo counseling, Cape Girardeau County juvenile officer Randy Rhodes said.

Rhodes said juvenile officers take all student threats seriously. His office investigates every threat.

"It doesn't matter the age. If they are making a threat, I want to know if they can carry it out," he said.

Morley Swingle, Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney, said he could not file charges in the case because juvenile offenders are involved. He can only file charges against adults and juveniles who are certified to stand trial as adults on felony charges.

Swingle said he has received no information about the case from juvenile officers or Jackson police. But he doubts the case would rise to the level of a felony.

"It could be more of a school discipline problem," he said.

School officials discovered the threatening note on March 13. In the letter, the students threatened to arm themselves with poisonous gas and injure a teacher who had changed a classroom seating chart.

The boys were taken into custody by police and turned over to juvenile authorities. They were questioned and their homes searched. The searches didn't turn up any poisonous gas or weapons.

School superintendent Dr. Ron Anderson said school officials are waiting for a threat assessment report from juvenile authorities before deciding whether to extend the suspensions. The report will help school officials decide whether the students pose a safety risk in returning to class, Anderson said.

Rhodes said an assessment also can reveal if the students suffer from psychiatric problems.

The assessment process often takes a week or two to complete, he said. "It's a little too early to tell," Rhodes said of any final punishment for the students.

Anderson said school officials deal with student threats on a case-by-case basis.

"You wouldn't suspend a fourth-grader for 180 days for bringing a pocket knife to school," he said. But a high school student could face such a suspension for bringing a gun to school.

"It is a common-sense type thing," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123