Superintendent Says Threats May Be Hoax

Two Balboa Middle School students who allegedly made threatening remarks about wanting to kill classmates and having a hit list are being kept out of school while authorities determine if the threats were real or just a hoax.

Ventura Unified School District Supt. Joseph Spirito said it is possible the girls were just joking when they made the threats, but in light of recent violence on school campuses across the country, authorities are taking no chances.

“It’s like when you go to the airports,” Spirito said. “You can’t just joke about bombing an airplane. That has to be taken seriously. We have to act the same way.”

The eighth-grade girls, both 13, allegedly made the threats on campus Wednesday, a day after 15 people died in the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

One of the girls allegedly said she had a hit list of onetime friends, mostly girls.

She denied that such a list exists, and a search of both teens’ lockers and homes by police have turned up nothing, school authorities said.

Principal Helena Reaves has said she will recommend expulsion if authorities can confirm the threats. If she does, it would only be the first step toward removing the students from school.

Spirito and the school board must review and approve the disciplinary action before the students could be permanently removed, said Jerry Dannenberg, assistant superintendent for human resources.

Once expelled, the students can appeal their case to the Board of Education or be reassigned to a continuation school. Last school year, more than 80 students were expelled from Ventura classrooms, Dannenberg said.

Spirito said he is a long way from determining what further disciplinary action may be sought against the girls, but he added that the students would stay home until school officials complete their investigation.