School Staff Can Now Probe Social Media for Online Threats

As school starts in Howard County, so does a new program to investigate online threats to students.

Kevin Burnett, coordinator of security for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), said that a staff member at each school has been authorized to look into potential situations arising out of social media.

Previously, all staff at HCPSS institutions were firewalled from using social media sites, said Burnett.

“If there’s a rumor that something is on Facebook or Twitter, that security officer is going to have bypass access to pull that information up and conduct an investigation,” said Burnett in a phone interview with Patch.

“That’s relatively new based on a meeting last year at Howard [High]," said Burnett.

He was referencing an anti-bullying forum that Ravens running back  at  last May after Glenelg student Grace McComas, 15, and student Eugene Swen, 16, committed suicide in less than two weeks, in two separate incidents.

The parents of McComas said that she “was harassed online for months,” according to The Baltimore Sun.

"When we do hear rumors like threats…we get the police department involved right away," said Burnett. "We’ve been talking about this Facebook thing for a long time," said Burnett of having a staff person authorized to access the social media sites on campus.

Renee Foose, the new superintendent for HCPSS, said the school system is taking bullying very seriously.

“We put a heavy emphasis on anti-bullying initiatives,” said Foose in an email to Patch.

Last week, before school started, student services staff had training focused on eliminating bullying, said Foose, who noted students are part of the solution as well.

“Students are encouraged to anonymously report suspicious behavior or postings on social media,” said Foose.

In the event of a dangerous situation, schools have emergency response plans that they update each year, said Foose, noting that staff is trained in emergency lockdown situations.

“We are terribly saddened by the incident that occurred at Perry Hall High School yesterday. Based on media reports, it appears the school staff responded swiftly, which may have saved lives,” said Foose.

"A guidance counselor at Perry Hall High School subdued a 15-year-old student who shot another student Monday, according to , which reported that investigators do not believe bullying was a factor. 

After the , which occurred Monday morning, Howard County police and school security teams communicated about the shooting."

“We were in contact with our school resource officers to get an idea if there’s something we should be looking out for in those situations,” said Burnett. 

Added Burnett: “It’s hard to prevent a tragedy, but if we can do everything we can, that’s what we’re going to do."

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