Ki-Be student disciplined over threat

The Kiona-Benton City School District and Benton County Sheriff’s Office recently investigated an alleged threat made by a young student in the school district.

It’s been determined that there is no danger and rumors of a “kill list” are false, Superintendent Wade Haun told Herald.

He said the elementary-age student was disciplined.

The district didn’t send out a school-wide notification about the incident, which happened a couple weeks ago. “We felt in this instance that contacting the parents involved was adequate,” Haun said.

The district had to balance the privacy of the young student and sharing information about the incident, he said.

“We do our due diligence” when it comes to handling these kinds of matters, Haun said, adding that “safety is our utmost concern.”

Benton County sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Brockman said his office also is satisfied that “there’s nothing for anyone to be concerned about.”

Authorities also investigated a rumor of a “rape list,” but Haun and Brockman both said there was no such list.

Some parents in the district may still be on edge following an incident at the high school three weeks ago when three teens are accused of luring another student off campus to stab him.

Two Benton City teens have been charged as adults in connection with that plot.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Ki-Be student disciplined over threat."