Marysville Getchell campus not for sale, despite online claims

MARYSVILLE — Marysville School District officials suspect it's part of a senior prank, but it was still a hassle for them to deal with the aftermath of a bogus email and online ad claiming that the Marysville Getchell High School campus had been put up for sale for a starting bid of $1.5 million.

Marysville teachers received the email on Monday, June 11, while the ad appears to have been posted on Craigslist at 10 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, according to Jodi Runyon, executive assistant to the superintendent of the Marysville School District.

"We're sure it's a senior prank, because 'For Sale' paper signs were also placed around the Marysville Getchell campus, and because it's just that time of the year," Runyon said. "Some pranks are nicer, while others are not."

Runyon clarified that the campus was not vandalized or damaged, and noted that the school district had received no calls from anyone who wondered whether the false claims of the email or the ad were true.

At the same time, the possibility of apprehending the prankster(s) in question seems slim.

"I wish there were a way to prevent things like this, but that's the nature of social media," Runyon said. "There's a lot of avenues to put false information out there, and the only thing that many of them require is an email address."

Runyon explained that the school district reported the bogus ad to Craigslist, but have not been able to talk to a live person at Craigslist about the incident.

"It's always recommended that, if an incident like this breaks the law, you should report it to the police, but this isn't that," Runyon said.

If it's determined that students were indeed involved in this prank, they could face suspension and even the possibility of not being able to participate in graduation.

Contact Marysville Globe Reporter Kirk Boxleitner at kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com or 360-659-1300 Ext. 5052.

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