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Teenage gang members are using social networking sites to bully and intimidate other students and school staff.

Mesa Arizon Public Schools general counsel Tom Pickrell recently addressed the district's governing board, which is considering a policy revision that would give schools broader authority to combat gang activity off-campus.

Some are displaying photos of themselves laden with guns under their profile online, a tactic which may be intended to intimidate classmates or rival gangs.

"If there is gang activity occurring off campus that has a substantial effect on the operation of the school or is substantially interfering with a student's ability to attend our school, we view that as being the nexus that we need to exercise jurisdiction here and take disciplinary action," Pickrell said.  It's a change in policy that districts nationwide are making, Pickrell said.

In a related note:

The U.S. Justice Department said gang membership is increasing in the US,  as groups increasingly use the Internet for recruitment.

The US Justice Department said the groups use "Net Banging," the use of online content glorifying the gang lifestyle, to recruit children as young as 8 years.