The MySpace.com post containing a hit list of Anne Arundel cheerleaders was “erroneous and, in some cases, fabricated,” school officials said Monday.
The list surfaced in an April 24 message on that Web site, nearly two weeks after a 14-year-old Lindale Middle School student was suspended for bringing a pocket knife to school, according to school officials.
The message, posted by a friend and fellow cheerleader, alleged the student had plotted to kill several of her teammates in the cheerleading squad.
In a letter sent home with students Monday, Lindale Principal George Lindley said the school?s investigation had determined that “the message posted on MySpace.comcontained information that was erroneous and, in some cases, fabricated.
“At no time since the April 11 incident did we believe students were in danger of being harmed, and we do not believe that to be the case now.”
The girl is being charged, as a juvenile, with possession of a deadly weapon, said Cpl. Mark Shawkey, spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
Her name, along with the names of the others included in the message, is being withheld pending further investigation, Shawkey said.
Parents have criticized the school for failing to file a police complaint until last Friday.
“I understand the privacy issue but at the same time, our daughter?s life was threatened. We had a right to warn our kids. I want an explanation,” said Lois Mormon, who directs the Andover Apaches cheerleading division.
Bob Mosier, spokesman for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, said the school board was looking into the way Lindale conducted the investigation, but he defended the administrators? response.
“The student with the knife has not been in the school since the 11th of April. Appropriate disciplinary action was taken,” Mosier said.
According to school board policy, middle school principals “shall notify local law enforcement officials as appropriate” in the event a student brings a weapon other than a firearm to school.
Examiner Staff Writer Jaime Malarkey contributed to this report.
