A 15-year-old boy faces a felony charge and was expelled from his Rockdale County high school after allegedly threatening to shoot up the school, authorities said.
However, his mother told Channel 2 Action News on Monday that the freshman never threatened the school and the situation has been handled poorly.
Ayanna Scott said her son and some of his friends at Heritage High School were joking about past school shootings, and a female student nearby overheard, thought he was serious and reported it to school officials Jan. 25, Channel 2 reported. AJC.com does not identify minors who are being charged as juveniles.
“He threatened to shoot her and then to shoot up the school,” Scott said. “You know, I didn’t really believe it.”
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Scott said Rockdale County deputies busted down her door to arrest her son, and school officials expelled him until at least next spring, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Scott said she’s not making excuses for her son, but she questions the thoroughness of the investigation, since she said her son was never interviewed by school officials.
“I don’t take any of it lightly at all, but I definitely know there’s a difference between making a threat to harm someone and laughing and joking around with your friends,” she told the news station.
The school district told Channel 2 it had no comment, but officials will enforce the school’s code of conduct.
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