School resource officers warn of sextortion, propose SAVE club and no‑phone trial to curb cyber harms

Two Pewaukee school resource officers told the board they are focusing on internet safety, sextortion and cyberbullying and proposed student‑led prevention programs and stricter on‑campus cell‑phone rules.

Julie Budenhagen and Larissa Hildenbrand, both introduced as school resource officers, described their duties — behavioral safety teams, active‑threat and rescue‑task‑force training, canine searches, and school event coverage — and outlined priorities including vaping enforcement, juvenile mental‑health response and internet safety education.

Julie Budenhagen recounted two sextortion cases the district investigated: a 2020 incident involving a 13‑year‑old middle‑school student that escalated quickly after contact on Instagram and included threats, and a later case in which a teenage male sent money after receiving images. “These aren’t cases where it takes weeks for images to be exchanged. It’s usually within a few hours,” Julie said, describing how suspects can pressure students and how the cases can cause extreme fear.

Officers described outreach and prevention steps already in place: school presentations, parent sessions run with FBI or ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) partners, anonymous tip lines (Speak Up/Speak Out and SRO stoppers), and classroom life‑skills lessons. They urged regular parent engagement and repeated education: “I wish this would really stick the first time we had the conversations,” Julie said, noting the need to repeat lessons for students.

From a program standpoint, the SROs described a student‑led Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) club modeled on a Mukwonago High School program. The club would run monthly community‑building activities (signed banners, halftime unity events, hot‑chocolate service, scavenger hunts, and a gradual no‑cell‑phone Friday pilot that in Mukwonago ultimately helped create a broader no‑phone policy). The officers said the club had helped Mukwonago students and administrators reduce phone‑related incidents and build peer oversight.

The officers also proposed tighter drop‑off and parking signage, more staff parking assignment to reduce conflicts, and continued active‑threat and rescue task‑force drills that brought police, fire and EMS onto campus during off hours.

Nut graf: SROs urged repeated internet‑safety education for students and parents, recommended piloting SAVE club activities and a phased no‑phone policy, and asked the district to continue collaborating with regional law enforcement on trainings.

Board members asked detailed questions about sextortion’s mechanics, financial extortion and the practicalities of a no‑phone policy. Officers said teenage girls were commonly targeted for images and boys for money; suspects sometimes accept gift cards. They also reported that extra‑patrol calls and event coverage make up a sizable portion of calls for service at the high school.

Ending: The board thanked officers and administrators for the report; officers said they will work with administration to pilot SAVE club activities and meet with parents at future strategic‑planning nights.