Mason Middle School student faces punishment, incites panic with Snapchat post

MASON, Ohio (WXIX) - A Mason Middle School student is facing disciplinary action after posting an image on social media that caused panic amongst students and parents, Mason City Schools reported Friday.

According to district officials, a student posted an image to Snapchat Thursday night with an airsoft gun that said “It’s almost Friday” on it.

After seeing the picture, two students reported it to their parents and the school, officials said.

On Friday morning, the Mason Middle School Campus Safety Team was able to figure out who the student was in the photo and began questioning them.

They later found out that the photo was months old and that the student who was in the photo did not post it or give consent for the image to be posted.

“We were able able to find out that the student whose picture was used. He didn’t actually send it. It was a picture that had been posted months ago and another student had posted the ‘It’s almost Friday’ caption over it,” Spokesperson for Mason School Tracy Carson said.

One parent who has an eighth grader at Mason Middle School says she moved her family to Mason to avoid incidents like this one.

“A little frustrated. This is kind of a big deal for us. We recently moved into the district out of a district that had multiple very real gun threats from students. That was one of the reasons we moved out of that district in the first place,” Emily Astrop said.

The school district says the student who posted the image is now facing disciplinary action.

This is now the second time this year a student has induced panic at a Tri-State school.

On Wednesday, an 11-year-old boy in Michigan posted a threat against West Clermont Middle School on Snapchat.

Extra deputies were sent to the school on Thursday to ensure students’ safety even after they found out that the student lived hours away.

Mason City Schools encourages the community that if they see something, say something. Parents and students can make a report by using the MCS Safe Schools Tip Line.

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