3 students face felony charges after threats

Brown Submitted photo

Staff Reports

NORTH VERNON — Three North Vernon students are facing preliminary charges of Level 5 felony intimidation after a series of school threats in the past week.

And in a protest about feeling safe in school, an additional nine Jennings High School students were cited Tuesday for truancy after demonstrating at the high school and being accused of leaving the school without permission from staff or their parents, North Vernon police said.

The school threat incidents were:

Sept. 10: A North Vernon school resource officer was told a sixth-grader made a vague broad threat to the school system on social media, referring to prior school shootings.

Sept. 10: A North Vernon school resource officer was told a freshman made a specific threat to two other students while in a classroom. This threat did not involve any of the other students or staff. The student was arrested and removed from the school.

Sept. 16: A North Vernon school resource officer was told that a junior announced a vague broad threat overheard by other students while at the school. The student was arrested and removed from the school.

In all three incidents, each student was initially charged with Level 5 felony intimidation, said Sgt. Andrew Richmond, North Vernon Police Department spokesman. No evidence suggests that any of these incidents were coordinated, and there is no evidence that any of these events had prior planning or preparation, he said.

In all three incidents, the lead investigator is Jennings County School Resource Officer Matt Staples, police said.

North Vernon police officers are aware of certain allegations stating that “hit lists” and videos depicting animal cruelty were discovered related to one of the school threats, police said. At this time, no evidence has been discovered nor provided to support these claims, Richmond said.

School officials are aware of the incidents and school protocols were followed in each event. Suspension and or expulsion of students is the sole responsibility of the school corporation, Richmond said.

All the cases have been forwarded to the juvenile court for prosecution, Richmond said.

An incident occurred Tuesday at Jennings County High School involving students leaving school grounds without permission, a protest sparked by the school threats, police said.

North Vernon police detained and charged a group of high school students with truancy after they were accused of leaving the school without permission and not having a parent or guardian sign them out.

The incident began with a small group of students staging a small demonstration inside the school, Richmond said. The students then moved their group to the sidewalk just outside of the building.

The police department was asked to intervene when students began leaving the school grounds without first gaining permission from school staff and having a proper parent or guardian’s permission per school policy, Richmond said.

Nine students were located, detained and brought to the police department by officers after leaving school property, Richmond said. The students were charged as truants and released to a parent or guardian at the police department.

Under Indiana statute IC 20-33-2-23, law enforcement officers may take children into custody during normal school hours if the child is found in a public place, police said.

Richmond said the reasons for the student protest were not clear — there was no list of demands presented to school officials — but students were communicating they felt unsafe due to the earlier arrests for school threats. However, many of the students were reacting to the “hit list” and other allegations that have not been verified as true, Richmond said.

“They were demonstrating on unverified and inaccurate information,” Richmond said, adding that he gave credit to the school administration for allowing the students to demonstrate on school property as long as they didn’t cause a disruption.

Where the students got into trouble is when they walked off school grounds and violated the truancy laws — leaving the school without school or parent permission, Richmond said.

Much of the information the students were demonstrating about was “he said, she said” type exchanges on social media that were based on unverified misinformation, Richmond said.

Jennings County school officials said they would not respond to questions about the arrests.

In a prepared statement, Jennings Superintendent Teresa A. Brown said her school district is prevented by federal law from sharing information regarding any specific student or incident.

In the statement, Brown acknowledged that some students and local residents were raising concerns about school safety. But she strongly urged residents to be skeptical of what was being posted and read online.

“Please remember that postings on social media and shared information are based on gossip, not facts,” Brown stated.

In terms of the three students, Brown stated those who violate the code of conduct are subject to discipline, including and up to suspension pending expulsion.

However, the superintendent assured that school protocols have been followed, and the three students will be afforded due process before discipline is given. If an investigation headed by Staples determines criminal laws have been violated, only then will the matter be referred to police, Brown stated.

North Vernon police also stated that such disciplinary actions are the sole responsibility of the school corporation.

After emphasizing the Jennings County schools take nothing more seriously than school safety, Brown asked parents to remind their children that all school threats or threats made against students will be thoroughly investigated.

Those with a safety concern are urged to contact Staples through the Jennings County School Corp., Brown wrote in the statement.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Statement from Jennings County School Corp.” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

"At Jennings County School Corp., there is nothing we take more seriously than the safety of our students. In the past week, some students and members of the public have raised concerns about one or more incidents regarding school safety. Federal privacy laws prohibit us from sharing information regarding any specific student or incident. Please remember that postings on social media and shared information are based on gossip, not facts.

Students who violate the student code of conduct are subject to discipline, including and up to suspension pending expulsion. Students are afforded due process before discipline is given, which may include an investigation with our school resource officer. If the student’s misconduct may violate criminal laws, the incident is also referred to police.

We value and respect student expression and will make every effort to continue to provide our students with a forum for conversations, while maintaining an orderly school environment. We all share the responsibility for school safety. We ask our parents to remind their children ALL threats to student safety are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.

The school district is following the appropriate, required steps to provide our students with due process. Every precaution has been taken to provide our students with a safe learning environment and we will continue to be diligent in this commitment.

Anyone with a specific safety concern is encouraged to contact Matt Staples, school resource officer.

At Jennings County Schools, we all work together to be stronger together!"

Sincerely,

Teresa A. Brown, Superintendent

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To contact Jennings County School Corp.’s superintendent office, call 812-346-4483. The office is located at 34 W. Main St., North Vernon.

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