Two Students Expelled, Three Suspended for Facebook Threat

Five Menomonee Falls North Middle School students learned a harsh lesson about the power of words and the reach of the Internet late last month. Two were expelled for a year while three other students were handed suspensions for a Facebook conversation that appeared to threaten a teacher who has not been named.

Though both police and school officials say they do not believe the students — four boys and a girl — intended to cause any harm to the teacher, action was required.

“There was even some jocularity in the postings,” said Menomonee Falls Police Capt. Mark Waters. “But the words were disturbing.”

Waters declined to release the exact content but WISN TV reported that the initial post asked, “Anyone else want to kill (teacher's name)?”

One student responded that he liked the post. Another said he was serving two lunch detentions because of the teacher and would bring “the gun,” while a fourth said he would “knife” the teacher and the fifth suggested that they bring ninja toys to school.

Superintendent Keith Marty said a parent saw the posts and called police on April 20.

Waters said his department conducted an investigation that included talking to all the students, their parents, the teacher and administrators.

The 13-year-old who started the impulsive online rant was given a municipal citation for disorderly conduct. That means he will have to appear in municipal court and faces a fine of up to $429, Waters said. Others could have been charged but were given warnings instead, Waters added.

“The parents agreed that the postings were disturbing and inappropriate,” Waters said. “I think these kids learned that what they thought was harmless could be read by someone else in a completely different context.”

The teacher, Waters said, initially was concerned about the threats, but he was relieved by the action taken by police and the district.

Marty said it reinforces the need for parents to be aware of how their children are using social network sites.

“Parents need to be aware that this is a very popular way that students communicate and I’m sure most of it is OK, but they have to understand this is pretty public and you can’t make threats against other students or teachers,” he said.

Marty agreed the students did not intend harm but he believes parents should take the time to talk to their children about the incident.

"These are middle school kids and I agree that they were probably not serious,” Marty said. “But these are words that have to be taken seriously, especially in the world we live in.”

Parents of students who have been expelled or suspended have some options, he said.

“There are an alternative schooling, home schooling, tutoring and virtual education programs,” Marty said. “I think the time away from school and their friends is itself a lesson. Middle school kids like to be a part of a group. They have lost that for a time.”