High Schooler Accused of Terrorist Threat Over Math Symbol

In what could only be described as a threat from a “Weapon of Math Instruction,” believe it or not, police were recently called to a school over a perceived “terrorist threat,” from a math symbol.

I admit, I always had a bit if fear of math when I was in High School, but this is simply ridiculous. According to a local station, KATC-TV, a Louisiana, high school student was finishing up a math problem and drew the square root symbol. The problem was, another student allegedly said the square root symbol looked like a gun — and several other students made similar comments. The student who drew the symbol, responded in a way “which taken out of context, could sound like a threat,” Allen Parish Sheriff’s deputies told the station.

And because of this menacing figure above, deputies launched an investigation of a terrorist threat allegation at Oberlin High School.

A Facebook comment from the Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office about the incident noted that officials “investigated a threat that was reported as someone planning to bring a gun to school. We did not learn that what actually happened until we conducted an investigation.”

KATC reported that detectives did search the student’s home, and found no evidence that the student possessed or had immediate access to any type of firearms. And there was no evidence the student had any intent to commit harm to students or faculty, investigators told the TV station.

“The student used extremely poor judgment in making a comment, but in light of the actual circumstances, there was clearly no evidence to support criminal charges,” the sheriff’s office Facebook page said, according to KATC.

The matter was turned over to the Allen Parish School Board for determination of disciplinary action, the station said.