Parents encouraged to talk to kids about online safety after social media threat – WNEM

GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (WNEM) – Montrose Community Schools are encouraging families to talk to students about online safety while police investigate a threat made over social media. In a letter to families, Shawn Birchmeier, the principal at the Kuehn Haven Middle School said a potential threat was reported to their office Monday. Birchmeier said the school and Montrose Police immediately began an investigation, where the threat was determined to not be credible, but police are still involved in the situation. Over the weekend, Birchmeier said a 4th grade student created a Snapchat profile using a false age, and was contacted by an unknown person who tried to form a relationship with them. The student briefly shared her located before removing it, and the person she had been in contact with then made inappropriate sexual requests. Birchmeier said when the student became upset, and the person responded by threatening her. Birchmeier said the situation is an example of the important of conversations about online safety, adding families should monitor their child’s online presence and activity. Anyone who has an interaction online that feels unsafe or inappropriate is encouraged to report it to law enforcement. Subscribe to the WNEM TV5 newsletter and
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