Child safety conference in Traverse City tackles school security, cyberbullying, mental health

At Traverse City Central High School, educators, police and child-safety advocates zeroed in on the threats they say are pressing hardest on Grand Traverse County families: online exploitation, cyberbullying, school security and the mental-health fallout that follows.

The inaugural Great Lakes Region Child Safety Conference brought those concerns into one room Thursday, May 7, beginning at 4 p.m. The event was free and open to anyone interested in child safety, but organizers especially wanted educators there because schools need both strong teaching and a safe environment. Scott Hardy, a Traverse City Area Public Schools board member, co-organized the conference with Traverse City attorney Doug Fierberg, who said the region should not be playing catch up on child-safety issues.

One of the clearest local reminders of how serious the topic has become came from Chris Rozman, the deputy chief of police for the Michigan State University Police Department. Rozman has spent 25 years with the department and managed security during the 2023 shooting on the Michigan State campus, experience that gave added weight to his message that safety is a community-wide effort, not something left only to police officers or security staff. Rachael Denhollander, the keynote speaker, brought another layer of urgency. Known as the first woman to pursue criminal charges against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, she was scheduled to speak about trauma-informed care for students who have already been hurt.

The rest of the lineup pointed to the problems schools and families are dealing with every day. James Marsh was set to discuss preventing and responding to online exploitation, while Jenna Baker, the director of prevention at the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center, and Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney Noelle Moeggenberg were scheduled to focus on bullying and abuse prevention. Coverage of the conference said the discussion also centered on preventing maltreatment and child sexual abuse, with speakers explaining how to recognize warning signs and what to do when someone worries a child is unsafe.

The message for Grand Traverse County was less about awareness than action. Organizers framed the conference as a call to schools, parents, legislators, members of Congress and technology companies, and speakers stressed that digital abuse can spill into classroom discipline, family stress and mental-health needs fast. The practical shift is toward earlier intervention, tighter coordination between schools and law enforcement, and more support inside schools as behavioral-health professionals become part of the response. Another three-day school safety conference is already scheduled in Traverse City for June 24 to 26, a sign that the region expects these concerns to stay front and center.