State Rep. Matt Woods (R-Jasper) has filed a bill in the upcoming legislative session to enhance penalties for making terroristic threats and mandate one-year suspensions for students convicted of making such threats after a wave of school threats hit the state late last year.
House Bill 85 (HB85) is slated to come before the legislature after lawmakers gather in Montgomery starting on February 4. The bill would increase penalties for making a terroristic threat while also allowing school principals to expel students for at least one year and restitution if a student is charged with making a terroristic threat.
Last year, law enforcement across the state was rocked with dozens of online threats made to various schools and school systems.
The first wave came in the River Region, where police arrested four juveniles for a series of widely promulgated social media posts threatening schools in Montgomery, Elmore and Autauga Counties. Police and school officials tried for days to quell parents' concerns while continually addressing the online rumor mill, where people were falsely reporting active shooters at different schools, as well as other unsubstantiated claims.
In the subsequent weeks, police announced a deluge of juvenile arrests after the threats hit more and more schools.
Under existing law, the crime of making a terrorist threat in the first degree is a Class C felony, and the crime of making a terrorist threat in the second degree is a Class A misdemeanor.
HB85 would change the code, making a terroristic threat in the first degree a Class B felony, and a second-degree charge would be upgraded from a misdemeanor to a Class D felony.
The bill would also change the expelling process for students charged with making a terroristic threat.
"If a student is charged with the crime of making a terrorist threat in the first or second degree, he or she shall be immediately suspended from attending regular classes and banned from all public K-12 school property in the state for a minimum of one year, or earlier upon the dismissal of all related criminal charges," The bill reads. "The student may not be readmitted to the public schools of this state until:
· All criminal charges or offenses arising from the conduct have been disposed of by appropriate authorities.
· The student has completed a psychiatric or psychological evaluation and counseling prescribed by the court, at the expense of the parent or guardian of the student.
· The student has satisfied all other requirements imposed by the local board of education as a condition for readmission."
In addition to the recovery of damages and court costs provided, upon a student being adjudicated or convicted of the crime of making a terrorist threat in the first or second degree, the student shall be expelled from school. The court will order the student and the parent or guardian of the student to pay restitution to law enforcement, emergency medical service providers, and the local board of education for any costs incurred relating to the crime.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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