In most cases, making an example of someone who may be only 15 or 16 years old would seem to be out of line.

But in the case of the person or persons who prompted a bomb scare at Moon Area High School earlier this month, and all those who have done the same at other schools in the region in recent weeks, that is exactly what must happen.

We congratulate Moon Area School District officials and local police for treating the threat as a serious matter. In this day and age, they have no choice.

We do not yet know if those who initiated the threat will be identified, but if and when they are, officials must send a strong message that such antics will not be tolerated.

This is not a harmless prank that causes a mild disruption of the school day while those responsible can enjoy a chuckle.

It is a costly, potentially dangerous, crime that cannot be tolerated in light of tragedies that have occurred on high school and college campuses over the past several years.

The names still invoke indelible images of terror -- Jonesboro, Ark., Columbine, Nickel Mines, Pa., Virginia Tech and so many more.

And even on Monday, authorities in South Carolina were fortunately able to foil a "Columbine-inspired" plot by a top student at Chesterfield High School who had gone so far as to record a farewell video before carrying out his deadly plan.

Against such a backdrop, even the most innocuous-sounding threat must be taken seriously, and those who make such threats must face the most severe repercussions, be that suspension, expulsion, criminal charges or some combination of the three.

We must, as a society, examine what it is that is driving students to contemplate and, in some cases, carry out such heinous attacks.

School districts must aggressively address the issue of bullying that can sometimes leave some students feeling like they have nowhere to turn for help.

And parents must keep a watchful eye on their children, looking for any signs of anger and frustration that bullying can cause and that too many dismiss as typical, teenage anxieties.

But until we have found all the answers, the health and safety of all students, staff and even emergency responders must be the No. 1 priority.