A Blue Ash sixth-grader, cited Thursday morning for inducing panic on a school bus, may face disciplinary action.

        “He was talking to another student and said, "I have a gun'” Lt. Rick Burdick of the Blue Ash Police Department said Friday. “Did that mean he had a gun then or that he had a gun at home? It was taken to mean he had a gun at that time.”

        Sycamore school officials said another student who overheard the comment reported it to the bus driver, whom the district declined to identify.

        The driver consulted with his supervisor by radio, then drove directly to the police station.
       

He was unarmed

               Krista Ramsey, a spokeswoman for the district, said the student, a 13-year-old at Edwin H. Greene Intermediate School, did not have a gun and did not make any threats. He is expected to be disciplined at the principal's discretion, she said.

        “You just don't make loose comments about a gun,” Ms. Ramsey said. “The district takes things, even an idle comment, seriously.”

        The teen, whom the Enquirer is not naming because he is a juvenile, was cited Thursday in Blue Ash Unofficial Referee Court. Sanctions he faces could include work detail, writing an essay or attending counseling.

        “If he never gets in trouble again, he can honestly say he has never been charged with a crime,” Lt. Burdick said. “If (juveniles) don't do what they're told, they can be referred to an official hearing.”
       

Letters to parents

               Principal Phil Hackett sent a letter home to parents explaining the situation, which read in part:

        “Although this step turned out to be precautionary in nature, we wanted (parents) to know that we appropriately take action and do not take chances.”

        “I addressed the students on the bus upon their arrival at school to reiterate that the Greene School is a safe place. I informed all students on the morning ... announcements that discussions involving guns and weapons, or threatening comments, will not be tolerated.”

        He also encouraged parents to listen and talk to their children to reinforce appropriate behavior. Thursday's incident was at least the seventh in a series of events that have affected Tristate schools since March 5.

        On that day, two Santee, Calif., students were killed and 13 other people were injured after a 15-year-old high school student brought a gun to school and started shooting.

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