Idaho high school responds after allegations that football players wrote about wanting to rape, kill female student

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A new email from Boise school officials has addressed the swell of indignation over alleged violent messages as Timberline High School students prepare to protest.

The messages gained attention over the weekend through a petition that alleged members of the Timberline High School football team wrote messages about wanting to rape and kill a female student in a group chat on Snapchat, a social media and messaging app.

RELATED | Boise police investigate alleged violent group chat at Timberline High

The petition was launched Saturday after photos began circulating online and among students that allegedly show messages from the group chat.

More than 9,000 people had signed it as of Monday afternoon.

The Boise School District’s latest response was an emailed statement sent to staff and students on Sunday night and signed by Timberline Principal Chad Wright, Area Director Shelley Bonds and Superintendent Wendy Johnson.

The statement said they wanted to provide clarity about “what has or has not been done by school officials” regarding “the disturbing social media posts involving several students at Timberline High School.”

The school officials said they were made aware of the situation on Friday and contacted police that same day.

“Boise Police asked us to pause any internal action until the reported threats had been reviewed and investigated by law enforcement, so as not to jeopardize any potential criminal investigation,” the email said. “At this time, Boise Police are continuing to investigate, and we are taking definitive steps to ensure the safety, security and privacy of our students and staff.”

Haley Kramer, a Boise Police Department spokesperson, confirmed to the Idaho Statesman that school officials reached out to the department’s School Resource Officer Unit and that they have begun an investigation. She declined to answer further questions, citing the ongoing investigation.

The school district officials said they were limited in what they could share because of the active police investigation and the potential involvement of minors, but wanted to assure parents that they have “zero tolerance for the type of behavior and language attributed to any member of our school community.”

“We understand that situations like this, where there is a lot of information circulating publicly, but seemingly little official action, are frustrating,” the email said. “And given the explicit content in the posts, emotions like anger, fear and sorrow are natural reactions. Please know that we are working through this as quickly and as thoughtfully as possible.”

The Boise School District planned to conduct its own investigation after the police completed theirs, and would implement measures available to the district through state and federal law, according to the email.

“This is not who we are and we will not be defined by the actions of a few,” the email said.

The district did not respond to the Idaho Statesman’s questions about whether the alleged perpetrators had faced any disciplinary action.

The petition asked for school administrators to remove the students from the football team and expel them from Timberline. It also called on schools to implement proactive policies for the future, such as “comprehensive education on respectful behavior and consent, as well as a platform for students to safely report incidents without fear.”

An Instagram page called “Thswalkout2026” said students planned to walk out of school on Wednesday morning to protest what they see as a lack of consequences delivered by administrators for the students involved.

The Instagram account also encouraged students to boycott the school’s homecoming football game on Thursday.