With the rapid spread of smartphone use and the rise of shooting threats, school officials across the nation are forging their own rules on internet engagement.

The state doesn't set policy for public schools, leaving it up to districts to decide how to deal with internet and phone use.

In Butler County, a general consensus has been reached among several school district superintendents — mainly a mixture of internet surveillance and using social media as a community engagement tool.

For Paul Epps, safety and security director for Butler Area School District, cooperation is an important part of preventing threats and harmful online behavior.

“How do you limit a teenager? It's difficult. That's a job that has to be done at home as well,” Epps said. “We have to remember sometimes that they're kids, and they don't always use the best judgment. Certain words spoken these days set off a lot of alarms. It's not always about intent. It's about how people perceive what you say.”

Moniteau School District Superintendent Sean Arney referenced the recent shooting threats at Mars Area School District as well as the recent sentencing of 18-year-old Jason Bowen.

Bowen, a former Knoch High School student, was ordered by a judge earlier this month to stay off social media for three years for making what authorities considered a school shooting threat in January.

“I don't think we learned anything new with the Knoch school shooting threat,” Arney said. “From my lens, I don't understand how the kids don't know what negative effect this has and how quickly school and police officials will react.”

Arney pointed out the tough road ahead for Bowen.

“He just graduated, and he's got a horrible path he'll have to work through. Could that have been prevented?” Arney questioned.

This is an excerpt of a larger article that appears in Sunday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article to see how schools are striking a balance with student usage of social media and issue districts are facing.