BAINBRIDGE – The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School District held a safety forum earlier this week, highlighting the school's recent investments in security including the addition of a new security system, a school resource officer, and a presentation on how to keep kids safe while they're on the internet.

The meeting was held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the Bainbridge-Guilford Middle School auditorium, and representatives from the school and law enforcement spoke at the event.

According to Bainbridge Guilford Central School District Superintendent Timothy R. Ryan, safety for staff and students is a major priority for his school district.

Ryan said that the school is investing in, "The Raptor System," which is a state database backed security system that has adults gain access to the school using a form of government identification.

He said when the adult signs in, the database does a background and sex offender registry check, and if they pass, the system prints out a badge with a photo on it with where the individual is headed in the school. He added that as an extra safety precaution, the school will hold onto the I.D. until the individual is ready to leave the building.

"Safety is incredibly important to us here, and we want to make sure that we continue to promote an open and safe environment for students and staff," said Ryan. "The Raptor System will be active during normal school hours, but will not be active for after school events."

He said another security measure the school district has invested in is the addition of a school resource officer named Dan Demer.

He added that Demer has over 20 years of law enforcement experience, but more importantly he has the right personality dedicated towards deterring threats, making kids feel safe, and investigating crimes if needed.

New York State Police Troop C Trooper Shannon Hartz discussed the key to child internet safety, and said internet safety boils down to one statement, each parent should be aware of what their children are doing online.

"Kids have access to just about anything you can imagine on the internet," said Hartz. "It's up to us, as parents, to decide what it is they should be viewing and how often."

She said with the easy of access most children have to technology it can be difficult to keep track of who they're talking to and over what, but named several sights that parents should watch out for.

Snapchat, Tinder, Blendr, Omegle, Chat Roulette, and 4chan were sites listed among the worst for potentially dangerous for children to access.

"Most of these sites have age limits, Facebook even has an age limit, but how many of our kids really adhere to that," said Hartz. "If you as parents don't keep track of what your children are doing online, it's very easy for them to make life altering mistakes."

She said for the middle school and high school couples that think sending inappropriate pictures online is a good way to flirt or establish trust in their relationships, think again.

"Those pictures you think are only going to last a couple seconds, they could stick with you for your entire life." said Hartz. "Relationships in school come and go so quickly; it's never a good idea to give someone that kind of power over their lives."

There are apps that individuals use to take photos and videos off of popular dating or photo sharing sites without the knowledge of the person who sent them, she said.

She added that sending inappropriate photos while in school may also be considered distribution of child pornography, which could lead to criminal charges for the people sharing them.

Pictured: Bainbridge-Guilford Central School District held a safety forum on Tuesday night and explained to concerned parents what its school is doing to keep their children safe. (Zachary Meseck photo)