Don't take threat lightly

The threatening note found in the Oberlin High School library might have been a hoax, but the tension it generated and the police response to that unrest were very real.

We would hope school officials take this into account in determining the consequences the author of the note will face. Certainly we feel it deserves more than a slap on the wrist.

The world we live in has become much scarier since Columbine, Sept. 11, and Virginia Tech. That the note was discovered in such close proximity to the anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre made the threat all the more palpable.

What the author saw as a joke created out of boredom was seen as a threat that must be dealt with by those attuned to security issues created by the aforementioned tragedies. Even though the note was a hoax, officials should deal with it to show security is no joking matter.

We would expect high school students to recognize talk of "immaculate slaughter" and building bombs must send up red flags in the minds of school officials. We might even hope those students would be cognizant of current events enough to know the timing of such talk would heighten the anxiety.

As the schools approach the implementation the International Baccalaureate program, they will expect students to consider the larger consequences of their action. We feel in this situation, the student should have considered those implications already.