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Three Riverside Brookfield High School students have been suspended from school in the last week for two unrelated Facebook posts.
Two RB students were suspended for 10 days for their involvement in showing a gun on the social networking Web site. Riverside police officers met with RB Assistant Principal John Passarella Feb. 1 at the high school to discuss a video.
Interim Superintendent Dave Bonnette said the video came to his attention because other students felt threatened by the video content.
“The students felt threatened, and based on that we did take action against the students,” Bonnette said.
“We felt there was a close enough connection here with students in the school for us to take action and continue our own internal investigation,” he added.
The video showed two current RB students and one other unidentified male holding what appeared to be two semi-automatic hand guns and making gang-motivated statements.
After interviewing one of the students, police learned one of the weapons was a BB gun and the other was a handgun, police said.
The two RB students are a 16-year-old Lyons boy and a 16-year-old North Riverside boy.
Bonnette said the two students had faced prior disciplinary action for situations at the school, but did not go into specific details.
The video was put up online in November, police said.
The Cook County Juvenile State’s attorney’s declined to file charges because there was no handgun recovered, no specific threats were made and the guns were not brought to school, said Riverside Detective Sgt. David Krull.
At no time were RB students in any danger, police said.
Bonnette said there was a previous Facebook incident a week ago involving a freshmen female student who posted derogatory comments about another student.
“We dealt with that individual as it was considered cyber-bullying,” Bonnette said. “She was suspended for multiple days.”
Three Riverside Brookfield High School students have been suspended from school in the last week for two unrelated Facebook posts.
Two RB students were suspended for 10 days for their involvement in showing a gun on the social networking Web site. Riverside police officers met with RB Assistant Principal John Passarella Feb. 1 at the high school to discuss a video.
Interim Superintendent Dave Bonnette said the video came to his attention because other students felt threatened by the video content.
“The students felt threatened, and based on that we did take action against the students,” Bonnette said.
“We felt there was a close enough connection here with students in the school for us to take action and continue our own internal investigation,” he added.
The video showed two current RB students and one other unidentified male holding what appeared to be two semi-automatic hand guns and making gang-motivated statements.
After interviewing one of the students, police learned one of the weapons was a BB gun and the other was a handgun, police said.
The two RB students are a 16-year-old Lyons boy and a 16-year-old North Riverside boy.
Bonnette said the two students had faced prior disciplinary action for situations at the school, but did not go into specific details.
The video was put up online in November, police said.
The Cook County Juvenile State’s attorney’s declined to file charges because there was no handgun recovered, no specific threats were made and the guns were not brought to school, said Riverside Detective Sgt. David Krull.
At no time were RB students in any danger, police said.
Bonnette said there was a previous Facebook incident a week ago involving a freshmen female student who posted derogatory comments about another student.
“We dealt with that individual as it was considered cyber-bullying,” Bonnette said. “She was suspended for multiple days.”
