MySpace rumors checked out in Newton Falls

NEWTON FALLS — School officials and police have worked together to check into rumors on My Space and elsewhere that an 8th grader was planning to commit a violent act in the school system.

The male student, who had only attended classes in the district for three days, has been ordered to stay at home until after a meeting can be held on Tuesday between the boy, his parents and school officials, said Superintendent David Wilson.

The superintendent said the student, who had only recently moved into the district, had made threatening statements on Friday in the junior high lunch area. Those statements apparently produced instant messages and comments on My Space about possible violence, Wilson said.

Wilson would not be specific about the nature of the rumors. “Lots of things are being said,” he said. “The story kept growing.”

On Sunday, Newton Falls police officers went to the boy’s house to look further into the matter, and the family was “very cooperative,” Wilson said. They allowed officers to check the home, and no weapons were found.

No disruption of classes occurred today other than phone calls from concerned parents, officials said. The middle school and high school are in the same complex on Milton Boulevard.