It’s a Crime to Call in a Bomb Threat to Get Out of Taking a Test

By Jedidiah McKeehan

It is likely you have seen a movie or TV show where a high school or college student in a panic, calls in a bomb threat to the school so they do not have to take a test for which they are not prepared. This is usually seen as an amusing plot point.

Sadly, threats of mass violence are not amusing at all given the prevalence of their occurrence across the globe.

The Tennessee legislators have sought to stop this behavior by making it a crime. Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-16-517 states that a person who threatens to commit an act of mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity commits a Class A misdemeanor.

This same law states it is a less serious crime if you know about a threat of mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity and knowingly fail to report the threat. This person has committed a Class B misdemeanor.

A person who is convicted of threatening to commit an act of mass violence at a school must additionally pay the costs and damages related to the disruption of the normal school activities in addition to the normal penalties for a Class A misdemeanor.

Jedidiah McKeehan is an attorney practicing in Knox County and surrounding counties.  He works in many areas, including family law, criminal, and personal injury. Visit attorney-knoxville.com for more information about this legal issue and other legal issues.