The disappearance and death of a central Indiana teen hit too close to home.
Greenfield-Central is responding to the tragedy of Hailey Buzbee’s death with a community workshop and assemblies for students in grades 5-12, featuring an internationally-recognized expert on technology and relationships.
Dr. Michelle Drouin, a psychology professor from Purdue University Fort Wayne, will be featured in “Join the Conversation: A Parent Workshop That Could Save a Life.”
The event, set for 6:30 p.m. April 15 at 700 N. Broadway St. in Greenfield, is open to any local resident, regardless of school affiliation.
And while students are welcome to attend the parent workshop, they will also hear from Drouin in schoolwide assemblies this spring as she delivers age-appropriate messages on recognizing the red flags of digital deception.
This is the second time Drouin has addressed the local community. In 2025, she spoke in Greenfield on screentime and mental health.
“This time, we’re really going to focus on direct threats through computers– predators that get on gaming systems like Roblox and other games; people that pretend to be people they’re not; catphishing and sextortion schemes,” said Robin LeClaire, director of students services for Greenfield-Central schools.
The hard conversations need to take place, LeClaire said, because parents should understand how they can protect their children and how to encourage their kids to talk to them if they are in a dangerous online situation.
LeClaire said in addition to online predators, there is also a high rate of suicide among children who get caught in sextortion schemes. With so much AI content and tricks predators can use to deceive youth, parents and caregivers need to know how to protect their families.
The event will delve into how online predators target youth today; fake online personas; and online extortion and financial scams.
Posters of Buzbee went up across Hancock County in January when she went missing; her photograph shared online as the community came to realize she had become a victim of an oline predator. LeClaire said since she lived so close to the community– just outside of Fortville – and she was playing popular online games that many local children play, the tragedy hit close to the hearts of the Greenfield community.
Drouin is a dynamic speaker, LeClaire said, and one the community should take advantage of the free opportunity to hear. The event will also be livestreamed, so those who are unable to attend in person can watch from any device that evening.
Dr. Harold Olin, superintendent of GC schools, said he is grateful the school corporation can offer families education on digital dangers. GC has safeguards on the school-issued devices that filters unsafe software and limits standard social media platforms. Still, it’s important to partner with parents and provide resources so families can set boundaries at home and be aware of online dangers.
The age-specific presentations geared to kids who are just starting out with devices to those who have been using online games for years is vital as well, he said.
“The death of Hailey Buzbee certainly shook many teens, parents and community members in Greenfield,” Olin said. “We saw pink ribbons worn in many places throughout our community. That incident certainly placed digital citizenship and digital safety back toward the top of our priorities for students.”
Sarah Graham, director of counseling at Greenfield-Central High School, said she has heard of local parents already having conversations with their teens about online dangers. Still, the upcoming assembly and community presentation will continue to fuel the conversation.
“I believe it will be incredibly valuable to have Dr. Michelle Drouin speak with our community,” Graham said. “The more education we can provide to students and families on this topic, the better prepared our students will be to build healthy relationships, establish safe boundaries, and feel empowered to make responsible choices in their online interactions.”
Jeff Cleveland is looking forward to the speaker too, and she will be a valuable resource when she speaks to students in an assembly. As principal of Greenfield Central Junior High School, Cleveland said seventh and eighth graders should hear about the topic. So many students spend their spare time playing online games, and have grown up on Roblox. The more information they have to look out for, the better they will be at recognizing dangers and helping their peers do the same.
“I believe it is all of our responsibility to educate teens and parents about these dangers,” Cleveland said. “A lot of us live in ignorance of these items and assume positive intentions. That unfortunately is not always the case, so we must all remain diligent and share proven information so our students are as safe as possible. This causes all of us to come to the table together to make sure this happens.”
The community event is located in the community room in the building just south of Greenfield-Central High School, at 700 N. Broadway St. For online streaming the night of the event, visit https://www.youtube.com/@greenfieldcentral6824.
By Maribeth Vaughn
