2 Lancaster Co. students disciplined after making noose at band practice

Two Andrew Jackson High School students have been disciplined after an investigation found they hung a “noose-like device” made from shoelaces in a tree during a recent band practice at the school.

Lancaster County School District Safety director Bryan Vaughn said the school principal was first informed of the incident Monday. Vaughn said the students were “joking around” and did not intend any malicious intent or harm on themselves or any other people.

In the investigation, Vaughn said he discovered the incident occurred last week during an extracurricular band practice at Andrew Jackson High. He said the two students found the shoelaces somewhere, tied them together and hung it into a tree.

“They had taken some type of shoelaces they had come upon while practicing and had tied them in some noose-type device and set it in a tree where they were practicing,” said Vaughn. “We were able to determine there were no overt threats to harm anyone, any type of self-affliction, bodily harm or harm to anyone else. These two individuals made a very poor decision.”

Vaughn said a child later walked by, saw the device from a distance and told her parents, which led officials to investigate.

“The individuals responsible have been punished within the boundaries of the school board policy,” said Vaughn, who noted that they have been removed from any school activities.

The school’s resource officer was made aware of the incident, said Doug Barfield, spokesman for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. The school is handling its own internal investigation, he said.

David Thackham: 803-329-4066, @dthackham