GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The Grand Island Police Department is investigating an incident in which nude photos of high school students were allegedly shared on social media.
Police Capt. Jim Duering said he believes that a social media account was used to share or send nude photos of students, some of whom were supposedly as young as 14 at the time the photos were taken.
“That is a felony offense to be in possession of those images or to share them,” Duering said. “The investigation is still ongoing, so we’ve got a lot of work to do with it.”
Jack Sheard, marketing and communications coordinator for the Grand Island Public Schools, confirmed that the district sent out messages about the alleged incident to parents via email, text and voicemail. He declined to comment further, saying it is a police matter.
Duering encouraged anyone who has been victimized in the incident, or who has information about it, to contact police.
Duering also stressed that young people should be cautious about what they put out in “digital media land.”
“It cannot ever be taken back, and they need to keep that in mind in their decision-making,” he said. “Even though you may be sending it to one person, the minute it is shared, there is no way to completely undo that decision. It can be fairly permanent. Those are things parents and kids need to have long conversations about.”
