A student who started a rumor that there would be a shooting at Walton High School on Friday was suspended following an overnight investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office arrived at the student’s home late Thursday to ask him questions about the supposed shooting, according to the student’s mother.
When confronted, her son said he told one person that he had overheard seven students talking about a shooting planned at the school.
“My son has been being bullied all school year (and) as a result of his frustration, he started a rumor that there was going to be a school shooting,” she said. “He didn’t threaten to shoot anyone.
“He’s really upset that it went this far,” she added.
She said her son didn’t report the bullying because he didn’t want to be called a snitch.
The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the student did not have access to any weapons and that an actual threat did not exist, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
The student does not face any criminal charges at this time, but additional disciplinary action could be taken by the school district, according Walton County Superintendent of Schools Carlene Anderson.
It will be up to the School Board to decide whether or not the student will be expelled, his mother said.
Additional deputies were placed at Walton High School on Friday, but the day proceeded as normal, Anderson said.
