Swatting/Social Media Concerns
Dear LCHS/CCHS Families,
We would like to loop you in on some social media and technology based activities that are happening around our state and in our area as we believe it is important for you to be informed and have conversations with your children as you deem appropriate.
Around the state there is an increase of false reporting of crimes or items that would be otherwise concerning to the safety and wellbeing of students and staff. The new term for the false reporting of an active shooter threat to safety is being called swatting. Such false reports would not be taken lightly, would result in an immediate contact of law enforcement involvement, and most likely will result in criminal charges. There were multiple incidents of this type that occurred across the state today and as a result FBI Denver and The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are involved in the investigation of the incident. We believe it is extremely important to have conversations with our students about the potential serious and long term consequences that may occur as a result of an action that a young adult might see as a harmless prank.
A second concerning social media behavior includes the “catfishing” of students by fake social media accounts. Unknown individuals are posing as teens and targeting young adults to gain their attention and encourage them to engage in risky, inappropriate or even detrimental behavior. We believe it is extremely important to have conversations with our students about the potential serious and long term consequences that may occur as a result of sending personal or confidential information or images to someone you have met online and it is extremely important to discuss the dangers of meeting in person with someone you have met online.
Another uptick of concerning social media behaviors includes the use of technology to share nude pictures through various web-based and phone based apps. The distribution of nude pictures is considered pornography and when involving a minor is child pornography. We believe it is extremely important to have conversations with our students about the potential serious and long term consequences that may occur as a result of passing along a nude picture (even if it was shared with you) as this makes you a distributor of pornography and as a result of this action that a young adult might see as a harmless action, may result in criminal charges including the labeling of the young adult as a sex offender.
At Friday’s LCHS community meeting we will be celebrating student accomplishments and highlighting upcoming events. We will use a small portion of this time in which our Sheriff’s department and staff will teach students to be aware of the possible concerns with engaging in any of the behaviors described above. We intend the conversation to be brief and high-level yet warn them of the possible impacts of engaging in these choices. As this could be viewed as a controversial topic by some families, we want to provide advance notice of this conversation. You are welcome to request your child to have an alternative activity during this time by notifying the LCHS front office. You are also welcome to attend the event which will start at 8:05-8:40 in the auditorium.
CCHS students will hold discussions during crew in an upcoming meeting.
Below you will find links to a few online resources that provide additional information and talking points that parents may find helpful to engage in meaningful conversations with your children.
- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/what-should-i-teach-my-child-about-safe-online-behavior
- https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/social-media-smarts.html
- https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/2011-sexting.html
We want to encourage students to speak up if they know of concerning behaviors happening. Safe2Tell (https://safe2tell.org) continues to be a great way for our students to safely report concerns.
Thank you,
Lake County School District
