Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - Erie County District Attorney John Flynn was at Kenmore East High School on Thursday, as he talked with students on the consequences of misusing social media after a series of threats impacted local schools throughout Western New York.
As Flynn discussed, there are a number of serious consequences and potential criminal charges that can result from using social media to bully, harass or threaten other students at school. This includes punishments in the short-term that can have long-lasting effects as the student grows into adulthood.
Thursday's presentation was one of several scheduled events in the Ken-Ton School District, as part of an ongoing effort by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office to enhance school safety. This comes especially after an incident at McKinley High School one month ago that left a 14-year-old student stabbed multiple times, along with a school security guard shot and another student with a grazing bullet wound.
"We know that we are in a very unique time in our history. More than ever before, our students are exposed to tremendous opportunities in learning, especially through the use of technology. But with this opportunity comes many challenges that we must continue to be ahead of the curve, and address before they can actually turn into potential problems," said Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District Superintendent, Sabatino Cimato, who was also on-hand on Thursday. "The lessons our students learned today, being careful about what they post online and anti-bullying, is extremely important. There were times in the fall and in the winter in which concerning screenshots or rumors circulated online, which impacted our schools and our district as a whole. These incidents create a great deal of alarm for our students, families and staff."
While the role of the Erie County DA’s Office is primarily reactive in the investigation and prosecution of a case after a crime has occurred, Flynn is seeking innovative ways to prevent crime. His office has seen an increase in the number of adolescents involved in the criminal justice system. Flynn is approaching this concerning issue by collaborating with schools in Erie County to educate youth about the dangers of engaging in criminal behavior.
At the request of the schools, the Erie County DA's Office created a presentation focused on preventing cyberbullying, school threats and other misuse of social media. The request followed a series of threats this school year that impacted multiple districts throughout Western New York.
"Since the beginning of school year, unfortunately, we have had a number of incidents where there have been threats that have affected schools," Flynn said. "Lockport High School had four them between September and December of 2021. Batavia Schools had one, Olean City Schools had another, Allegheny-Limestone had one, Niagara Falls High School had one, Pine Valley had one, Gowanda, Southwestern, Western Middle School in Erie and Grand Island Central Schools in Erie County as well. So it's not just Erie County. It's Erie, Niagara, Genesee County, Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, it's all over Western New York. It's all over the nation. These 13 separate social media threats since the beginning of the school year closed down the schools for periods of time."
"Here in Ken-Ton, [they had] a number of incidents earlier the year where there was some things said on social media - I get them too, because my kids go to school here. Fortunately, it did not rise to the level of having to shut anything down. ... There have been hundreds of others that have not fortunately led to a closed down, but the incidents were still there."
The Erie County DA's Office held two presentations on Wednesday for students at Franklin Middle School. Prosecutors are scheduled to hold additional presentations on this topic for students at Hoover Middle School and Big Picture Program later this month. A presentation will also be scheduled at Kenmore West High School some time next week.
Flynn and his office have provided similar educational presentations at other schools throughout the county. Prosecutors have visited classrooms and organized panel discussions on gun violence and other criminal justice-related issues that affect the youth of local schools.
Related
To date in the 2021-2022 school year, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office has provided 22 presentations for students at 13 different schools with additional presentations scheduled in the coming months.
You can listen to the entire press conference below: