An Ohio family has accused Madison Local Schools of failing to adequately protect their 12-year-old son after students allegedly planned his murder through online threats.
According to Courtney Sorrell, the victim’s aunt, the harassment began following a breakup between her nephew and another student. The group targeted him individually via phone calls, texts, FaceTime messages, and other digital channels until he was forced to block one person’s number repeatedly before they would reach out from a new contact.
Sorrell described how the students “would say disgusting things like how he’s hated and he needs to just go kill himself.” The group later added him to a private chat where they discussed an alleged plan to end his life. Messages in the group, which included 13 participants, reportedly read: “Can we kill him,” “Yas we will kill him tomorrow,” and “Who has weapons that we can bring to school.”
Some of the students claimed they could use a pocketknife, baseball bats, or even a gun. The district suspended the involved students for ten days, but Sorrell stated the family believes authorities did not take the threats seriously enough. She said the district’s response was inadequate and that they sought media attention because “we felt the district wasn’t doing enough.”
In response to the incident, Madison Local Schools released a statement: “We are aware of social media posts regarding a potential threat toward Madison today. The district is actively addressing the situation and has taken appropriate steps to ensure the safety of our students and employees. We appreciate your cooperation and support as we prioritize the well-being of our school community.”
Sorrell emphasized that her family did not want the incident to escalate publicly but stressed: “We didn’t want this to blow up, but we want the kids to know you can’t make these threats and bully someone or say these things and not be held accountable.” The family is now calling for greater accountability from the district and more stringent punishments for the students involved.
