Four seventh-grade students at Valley's W F. Burns Middle School have been suspended for having oral sex in school.

School administrators punished the students, but they did not report the incident to police.

In his 17 years as Chambers County School Superintendent, Leonard Riley says he's never dealt with a situation like this.

Superintendent Riley told News Leader 9: "Basically we had two students having oral sex in a classroom, It was reported, a teacher was in the classroom, working with other students...the second incident happened on a school bus in the very back of the bus, it was reported and we handled that incident also."

All four students were suspended for five days and their parents were notified. School officials left it at that.

Under Alabama state law, if a crime is allegedly committed on school grounds, school officials have an obligation to contact local law enforcement so they can investigate. It appears that never happened in this case. Valley Police Chief Tim Bryan says he knew nothing about it until news leader nine contacted him about the two incidents this morning.

"From my cursory review of the incident," Bryan said, "it appears an indecent exposure at a minimum occurred on the school campus or in conjunction with a school activity."

Indecent exposure is a crime.  But Riley told News Leader 9: "It was our thinking that we were not required to report it to the law because there was no force or over age students involved."

To which the police chief replies: "Typically when a crime is commited on a campus like southern union, public school or even private school we would most certainly like to know about them."

The Superintendent added: "Since you brought the question up, we have referred it to our attorney, if our attorney says we need or should report it to police, and make a police report, we will do that, we want to abide by the law."

Bryan says he, along with the school resource officer, are now investigating.

Superintendent Riley says since this has never happened on school property before, it's a learning experience.

He says he'll look to the system's attorney for advice on how to proceed.