Student suspended after “kill list” discovered

School officials said the student is back in classes following an investigation.

A fifth-grade student was suspended after a list was found including the names of people he allegedly wanted to kill.

The list was found last week by school officials at Possum School, an elementary in the Clark-Shawnee Local School District. Superintendent Gregg Morris said the list had two columns — one with a list of friends and another with a list of people the student didn’t like, which was labelled as a “kill list,” he said.

Security precautions have been taken, according to Morris, although he would not release specifics. The student was suspended, but is back at school this week. An assessment was completed to ensure he was not a safety concern, Morris said.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office was notified and the incident was investigated by an educational service officer. The case was presented to the Clark County prosecutor, who declined to press charges against the student, said. Capt. Jonathan E. Holmes.

“It was taken very seriously. The student was disciplined,” Morris said. “The principal contacted every parent whose (student’s) name was on the list so they would know exactly what was going on.”

One of those parents took to Facebook and complained about the way the situation was handled. She declined to speak to the media.

Morris said he felt the situation was handled well, and his main concerns were for the student who made the list, and the safety of everyone at the school.

“You certainly wouldn’t remove a student for the rest of the year,” Morris said. “There is a difference between with intent and having all the signs (the student will) follow through and a student just making a dumb decision.”

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