Principal: Student suspended for "joke" about having a gun

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Officials at a South Carolina high school say they suspended a freshman who joked that he had a gun in his book bag.

The State Columbia reports the 15-year-old student at Lexington High School was suspended Monday.

Principal Melissa Rawl sent a letter to parents saying the freshman joked to a fellow student during class about having a gun. She wrote that the student didn't threaten other students or the school. She says another student overheard the conversation and told a teacher.

The student who joked about the weapon was not arrested or charged, but was suspended while awaiting an expulsion hearing.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon told the paper in August that the "days of joking about violence" are gone and every threat must be taken seriously.