BYRON CENTER, Mich. — Following a recent school safety threat in Kent County Public Schools, law enforcement officials are urging parents to educate their children on school safety and the importance of open communication.
"Any time there’s a threat, we ask families to report and not repost," said Kent County Undersheriff Bryan Muir.
Muir said reporting a potential threat to law enforcement officials instead of posting to social media is helpful in scenarios that involve school safety threats. "Give us the information so we can look into it. We have a very exhaustive effort we put all these school threats through, and a lot of that is information that can’t be done just by sharing it on social media," explained Muir.
While Undersheriff Muir did confirm there currently are no credible threats to any school in Kent County, he emphasized the importance of parents using situations like what happened within Byron Center Public Schools to open the door of communication with their children.
“It’s just being able to have open communication with their kids. They need to have that ability to come to you when they know something needs to be addressed that they don’t know how to handle," said Muir.
Along with being an open door for communication, Muir explained the importance of educating kids on the risks of running to social media prior to reporting a threat.
"Anything they put on social media, or anything they share, can take on a life of its own," emphasized Muir.
Organizations like OK2SAY, a student safety program that allows students to confidentially report tips on potential harm, is a resource for the community that can be used in the event of any school safety threat.
“We would always rather have people report information than not. If OK2SAY isn’t the right resource, we will vet it to the correct place," said OK2SAY Program Specialist Adam Talarek.
Muir also wants parents and students to remember the variety of resources available to them in case of a threat or emergency. "They can always call 911. They can contact law enforcement through our non-emergency number, Silent Observer, OK2SAY or any of the options we have."
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