Lancaster County, Pa., District Attorney Craig Stedman agreed.
“I can’t charge someone for being a jerk, but I could see someone crossing over that line and we’d end up having to file charges,” he said of some of the more lewd postings.
Some say the burn books are a modern version of playground taunts and that people simply should ignore them or block them.
Ephrata police Sgt. David Shupp said his department has not received calls about the Ephrata burn book. He said it would be difficult to find the manpower to police these types of internet problems.
“You can fix 10 of these, and 20 more are coming tomorrow,” he said. “It just keeps coming. Kids just keep doing stupid things.”
Manheim Township police Sgt. Thomas Rudzinski said he was not aware of any calls to police about a burn book targeting the township’s school.
Burn books recently started popping up here and quickly attracted large followings. Manheim Township’s burn book had more than 400 students following it when it was taken down Aug. 15.
Students have been both delighted—“Whoever is behind this I kinda wanna shake yr hand” is what someone posted on the Manheim Central burn book—and combative—“I know a lot of people that love me,” posted a student who had been called out on the site.
In some communities, students are fighting back by starting alternative sites. Someone started the “Warwick friend book” Twitter account that also names students, but compliments them for being “super hot,” “a great dancer,” and “gorgeous.”
Emily McNaughton is a 2012 Elizabethtown High School graduate. As of Aug. 16, no one had started a burn book targeting her school, but she feared it might just be a matter of time.
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