OXFORD — Educators at Talawanda High say a student-posted Web site that started out last spring poking good-natured fun at school was voluntarily shut down over the weekend after it had become offensive.

        The nature of the postings — references to the Ku Klux Klan, getting larger ovens in the cafeteria to burn Jewish students, a survey about sex with siblings and one death threat — prompted school officials to ask students to voluntarily take down the Web site. They also referred the matter to Oxford police, Principal Dan Milz said.

        “It had become sharper, biting, more personal attacks with more violent references,” Mr. Milz said Tuesday. “What worried me were the people who were writing in at the Web site that were mad at it. They were posting things like, "I'm going to kill you.' Now, I've got kids upset with kids, and I didn't like that.”

        Mr. Milz said he became aware of the changed nature of the Web site last week after a teacher saw a student looking at it on a computer in the school library.

        After reviewing the site, school officials blocked its access from school computers, and Mr. Milz announced to students Friday that if the site was voluntarily shut down, no one would be disciplined.

        School officials think the Web site was created by six or seven junior boys on a personal computer. School officials determined it was not created using school servers or computers.

        “It crossed the line from being free speech to being a public disruption when they started using the school logo and naming teachers and others,” Mr. Milz said. “I had a girl — a teen mother — upset and crying in my office because she knew one of the references was about her.”

        Oxford police logged onto the Web site and began printing out excerpts, Detective Sgt. John Buchholz said. The material was forwarded to the FBI and to Miami University's Judicial Affairs Office because one of the teens involved was thought to be taking classes at the university.

        “Fifteen years ago nobody would think anything about kids talking bad about teachers,” Detective Sgt. Buchholz said. “Nobody's going to take a chance now. Neither are we.”

        He said he forwarded the material to the FBI because the organization is keeping tabs on such sites. A similar site was in operation about Columbine High School in Colorado for about 18 months before the shootings there.

        On Monday, several parents were waiting for Mr. Milz in his office.

        “With one exception, the parents agreed the content was appalling and appreciat ed us calling it to their attention,” Superintendent Susan Cobb said.

        Mr. Milz said no disciplinary action was planned against the students. Calls to the FBI were not returned Monday.

        “There's going to be underground newspapers and I guess underground Web sites,” Mr. Milz said. “We know that, and we're not trying to stop it. We're not upset by criticism.

        “This went beyond that. The students were original and creative — we want that. But they have to learn that not all speech is protected speech.”

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