The girl and the boy were found in a bathroom during lunchtime by a maintenance worker and will be disciplined by the school for "inappropriate student behavior," a school district spokesman said.

Police said the case will be forwarded to the state attorney's office, which will determine whether charges will be filed against the girl. In years past, a person who lied about being raped was charged with filing a false police report, state attorney's office spokeswoman Pam Bondi said.

If charges are filed against the girl, by law they will be confidential because she is a juvenile, Bondi said.

The students, who have not been identified, are not expected to return to school this week. Principal Daniel Bonilla will conduct his own investigation to determine what type of disciplinary action will be taken, school district spokesman Steve Hegarty said.

The students face anything from being suspended to being sent to another school, he said.

"There was some sort of inappropriate behavior that was going on in the bathroom," Hegarty said, and "it will be dealt with."

About 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, a maintenance worker saw two sets of feet under a bathroom stall and left to report the incident to Bonilla. The bathroom was closed to students at the time of the incident, police said.

The boy ran out of the bathroom, collided with a second maintenance worker and ran off campus, police and school officials said. The girl told a female school official that she had been raped, and the boy was arrested nearby in a hotel parking garage.

Hegarty says that although the incident and subsequent police investigation had been disruptive, classes continued Wednesday at the school. About 1,800 students attend the school, at 4401 W. Cypress St.

A letter to parents about the rape was sent out Wednesday before the girl said she made up the story. Hegarty said another letter, explaining the latest turns of events, will probably be sent out.

"We are relieved there wasn't a crime on our campus," he said.

Editor Howard Altman contributed to this report. Reporter Mari Robyn Jones can be reached at mjones@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7638.