A Habersham County student is in trouble with the law and his school after making what school administrators call “an inappropriate joke.”
Around 7 a.m. Tuesday, a student’s guardian notified Habersham Ninth Grade Administrators about a concerning post on Snapchat. The image depicted a student holding what law enforcement described as a “firearm” (and school officials described as a “BB gun”) telling Ninth Grade Academy students not to come to school Tuesday.
School administrators contacted the Habersham County Sheriff’s office, which sent patrol deputies, criminal investigators and additional school resource officers to the school. They identified and interviewed the student in the picture and determined that he “made no threats and posed no danger to anyone,” says HNGA Principal Connie Franklin.
Sheriff’s investigators determined that the student’s original image had been altered and posted by another student. Franklin says it was “found to be an inappropriate joke and not a viable threat against our students, staff or anyone else.
Read the full HNGA press release here
Law enforcement identified and located the student responsible for the Snapchat post. The sheriff’s office says juvenile complaints will be secured against him including one count of terroristic threats, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of harassing communications.
“Even though it was only intended as a joke, both law enforcement and school officials are dealing with the student who actually made the post,” Principal Franklin says.
The school says parents and students were immediately made aware of the situation through a OneCall message. Students were also informed of the seriousness of posting inappropriate messages to social media and the dangers that could be involved in publicly sharing photos.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation is ongoing.
