The Boise School District is launching an internal investigation into reported online death threats against a student.
Details on the district’s Timberline High School investigation are unclear. “We cannot disclose individual student discipline due to student privacy requirements,” district spokesman Dan Hollar said in an email to Idaho EdNews.
The district had put its investigation on hold while waiting on the Boise Police Department. Police finished their interviews Wednesday, “and we were … given the all clear to begin investigating on our own,” Boise district Area Director Shelley Bonds told the Boise School Board Monday evening.
The Boise police investigation is ongoing, spokeswoman Haley Kramer told EdNews Tuesday morning. “We have completed the initial essential interviews, preserved immediately available evidence, and requested preservation of additional evidence not yet received.”
Police were brought in on the investigation on Oct. 2, the day the threats were reported to school and district officials. According to an online petition, members of the Timberline football team went on the Snapchat social media site and talked about raping and killing a female student.
Boise police increased their presence at the school last week. District and school officials postponed some homecoming activities and canceled a homecoming football game scheduled for Thursday, citing concerns about student safety. Hundreds of Timberline students staged a walkout during classes Wednesday.
The Boise district investigation will begin this week, Bonds told trustees Monday night. The district will conduct a threat assessment and investigate potential violations of Title IX, a federal education law prohibiting sexual discrimination.
Meanwhile, Boise police will continue to investigate the evidence already in hand and look at additional evidence as it is collected from social media. “It is anticipated that it will take time to evaluate this additional evidence, interview additional witnesses based on that new information, and to determine if the incident meets the legal requirements for criminal charges,” Kramer said Tuesday.
As the investigations continue, district and Timberline officials talked late last week about “returning to a sense of normalcy.”
“Our focus will remain on safety, accountability, supporting our students and staff, and bringing the Timberline community back together,” district Superintendent Wendy Johnson, Timberline principal Chad Wright and Bonds said in an email to the Timberline community.
Timberline’s next football game will go on as scheduled, but with enhanced security, Bonds told trustees Monday. Security will also be ramped up for rescheduled homecoming activities and parent-teacher conferences, she said.
Trustees briefly reviewed the Timberline investigation during Monday night’s regularly scheduled board meeting. No one addressed the situation during the meeting’s public comment periods.
Several trustees praised school and district officials for their response. Trustee Debbie Donovan thanked community members for stepping up and reporting the Snapchat posts, while trustee Alejandro Necochea praised students for stepping up to protest.
And several trustees pledged to host a wider discussion.
“We need to lead a community conversation about this,” board Chairman Dave Wagers said. “It is not a school district issue. It is a community issue, and we will not shirk away from the leadership responsibilities that we have.”
