BLANCHESTER —A Blanchester student was recently suspended from school after making what “could be construed as a threat of violence toward others in the school,” according to police.

On Friday, March 8 the assistant principal at Blanchester High School reported that on Friday, March 2 a 15-year-old ninth-grade student made a statement in class that could be construed as a threat of violence toward others in the school, said Blanchester Police Chief Scott Reinbolt.

“The child made the statement after being disciplined by a teacher,” Reinbolt stated in a press release. “When interviewed by school staff, the child said the statement was made in jest and there was no intention of harming others.”

On Monday, March 5, the child was suspended from school and the information about the statement was provided to the child’s probation officer, Reinbolt said, and the matter was addressed by the Clinton County Juvenile Court and the child’s parents.

“All of this took place before police were notified of the incident,” said Reinbolt. “We have taken steps to emphasize to school administrators the importance of bringing matters like this to our attention when the information comes to the attention of school officials.

Regarding this incident, Blanchester Schools Superintendent Dean Lynch told the News Journal Monday, “Administration is responsible to investigate any and all threatening comments, but they have the discretion as to when and if law enforcement should be contacted. Once the comments were determined to be non-threatening, the Clinton County Juvenile Courts were contacted and they (courts) proceeded to initiate their protocols based on the school’s discovery of the investigation.

“The safety of our staff and students is always paramount and district takes such remarks seriously, thus the reason for filing a police report.

“If at anytime during an investigation is determined to be a creditable threat, the district has a responsibility to contact the local police department immediately. However, this wasn’t one of those situations,” Lynch added.