The Sealy ISD Superintendent, Bryan Hallmark, issued a warning for parents today via memo about an incident with an online predator/stalker away from school. The warning asks parents to be mindful of and monitor their child’s online use of common platforms that they visit.
The memo read:
10/26/2021
Parents,
Last Thursday evening, we had a message with an inappropriate image sent to our district Facebook. After investigating we found that the Image was obtained from a student by an online predator/stalker away from school. The predator then shared the Image online. The social media sites used to initiate contact with the student were YouTube and Discord, but there are many different types of apps and programs that can be used to target children.
Since interacting with the student online, the predator/stalker has sent several friend requests and messages on various platforms to teachers and staff members across the district. We strongly suspect that this Individual will begin to reach out to students, parents, and community members who follow our social media pages. We urge you to be extremely cautious when accepting friend requests or when opening messages from people you do not know. Also, be aware that this Individual could attempt to impersonate someone you do know by using a profile name similar to a known friend.
We are working with law enforcement to track down this person but that is a tall task as they have used at least 4 different platforms and multiple account names (profiles). The messages that have been sent by this predator are criminal and if received (or opened), should be reported to Chief Culpepper for documentation. You can reach Chief Culpepper by email at [email protected].
Here is a link to an article with popular apps that are used by many people that could be possible ways to target children. The articles Is titled “A Complete Guide to Potentially Dangerous Apps for Kids”, (released June 21, 2021) but the title Is misleading as the app used in this case Isn’t even listed. We ask that parents continue to be diligent In monitoring their students’ activities online which includes gaming platforms, apps, social media sites, YouTube videos, and online searches. Have conversations with your student regarding online interactions and insist they not communicate with Individuals they do not know. Help us to keep our students safe, we love our small town but unfortunately, these types of predators can strike fear even in places like Sealy.
We are going to temporarily block comments on our Sealy ISD social media sites. We hope to turn these features back on in the near future. Thanks for your support and understanding as we navigate this situation. If you have additional questions, please reach out.
Bryan Hallmark
Superintendent, Sealy ISD
Here is the screenshot of the memo:
Parents should be aware of the dangers associated with underage online use and take appropriate measures to safeguard their children.
