Hear a rumor? Do your research before sharing it

Call the school or police, and allow them to investigate

The Yuma Sun recently received a few concerned phone calls from the community regarding an alleged incident at a high school in Yuma County. One caller was quite specific in the details. Allegedly, an 18-year-old student was facing charges in the death of a classmate. On Oct. 22, the 18-year-old “flipped over” a 16-year-old. The 16-year-old hit the concrete and had to go to the hospital, and a few days later, the younger teen died. The Sun was told the incident happened on either Kofa or Yuma’s campus, and the two students may have been fighting when the incident occurred.

There was even video of the flip circulating around the community.

Concerned, the Sun reporters made some phone calls.

And lo and behold, there was no truth to the incident whatsoever. The student who allegedly was hurt (or worse) was fine, and that video? It apparently was from Florida.

The Yuma Police Department confirmed with the Sun that the rumor was in fact just that – a rumor.

Now, the Yuma Sun does not report on every rumor that crosses our paths. Normally, we just let concerned callers know that there’s no truth to the matter, and we move on.

Rumors are nothing new. They’ve plagued the world since the inception of humanity. Dynasties have been built – and collapsed – on the impact of a rumor.

And that goes to the heart of this problem. Unchecked, they spread like wildfire.

The Yuma Union High School District told the Sun, “Part of keeping students and staff safe on our campuses is ensuring that information in a public forum is accurate and factual. Rumors and gossip do nothing to drive the education process, can harm the reputations of individuals and our community and in many cases can negatively impact safety.”

Then, we had two school threats online, one at Centennial Middle that shut the school for the day, and one at Cibola High. Both turned out to be nothing, but today, any situation like that – rumor or otherwise – needs to be taken seriously.

If you hear a rumor – whether it’s about an alleged threat at a school or a safety incident with a student, call the school or local law enforcement agencies and report it. Don’t contribute to it.

There may be nothing to the rumor – or the rumor could have a grain of truth to it that’s indicative of a bigger issue, such as a pending danger or a student in a perilous situation. The school and our law enforcement agencies are better positioned to figure that out, and get help where help is needed.

But don’t spread those rumors willy-nilly around town. One look at these recent situations in Yuma and it’s incredibly easy to see how rumors spread – and the damages they can cause.