Southridge High School officials suspended six students Tuesday in connection with threats on the MySpace Web site.
The online activity, which started with an electronic posting attacking Goth students at the school, led to an exchange of violent threats.
On Tuesday, police officers who patrolled the school reported no violence, said Maureen Wheeler, Beaverton School District spokeswoman. However, Wheeler said, more students may be suspended as Southridge leaders continue to investigate.
Tuesday’s suspensions fall under the district’s broad harassment and disruptive behavior policy, which kicks in when an action disrupts learning.
School officials learned last week that one student had started an online forum attacking the Goth students, a group recognizable by their dark clothing and, at times, heavy makeup.
MySpace, an online network for young adults, allows members to create personal Web pages, host blogs and open discussion groups.
The forum turned into a hostile online exchange as more students logged on, said Randy Kayfes, the district’s public safety director. The back-and-forth fueled rumors that one group planned to retaliate against the other Tuesday, 06-06-06. The number 666 is often associated with biblical warnings of the Apocalypse.
“The rumors morphed and changed, and eventually it got so you couldn’t tell who said what,” Kayfes said.
Police and school officials were unable to identify a specific threat but beefed up security anyway. Beaverton police stationed two uniformed officers at the Southridge campus all day. Nearby Conestoga Middle School officials also warned parents of the concerns.
Some parents kept their children home. The district received a flood of phone calls about the rumors, Kayfes said. Southridge officials recorded 250 absences Tuesday, slightly more than average.
Wheeler said district computers block access to MySpace, which has been at the center of conflicts at schools across the country.
“Students can still get on at home,” Wheeler said of the Web site. “We have no control over it.”