Ohio County Schools hasn’t taken the foot off the gas when it comes to educating its students about the issue of “sextortion.”

Sextortion, the act of soliciting money from an individual by threatening to release private photos, has become a much bigger problem for teenagers as the means of communication for them have evolved. It has led some students to even commit suicide.

Ohio County Schools understands the importance of educating teens in that situation. It already partnered with Wheeling Central Catholic High School to produce a video of some of the two groups’ most prominent athletes warning their peers about sextortion.

That was a great start, and now they’re keeping it going. Wheeling Park High School will help both male and female athletes to learn about sextortion from professionals who deal both with the preventative measures of educating young people, but also with the criminal aftermath.

Male athletes will hear from Bradley Mason of the West Virginia State Police. He currently works in the Crimes Against Children Unit. Katie Banal, community education coordinator at Harmony House, will address female athletes.

“We are focusing on providing commonly targeted groups with specific skills and solutions in the event they experience these scenarios,” explains Dr. Nicole Shepherd, OCS Behavioral Specialist. “We want our students to know they are not alone, and have a pathway to help in the event they need it.”

Any teen can fall victim to this practice. All it takes is a smartphone and some bad actors trying to prey on the region’s youth. The more that sextortion prevention is discussed with Ohio Valley teams, the more educated they’ll be and the less prone they’ll be to leaving themselves vulnerable to predators wanting to harm them.