VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Leaders at Volusia County schools are warning parents about a new app students appear to be using.

They say the Saturn app allows students to share their school schedules with friends and connect with others in their classes. District officials claim it poses major safety risks because anyone can join, which could potentially impacting students’ privacy.

 “It's marketed as an app for school schedules and calendars, but it's a whole lot more than that," Chief Technology Officer for Volusia County Schools Dr. Matt Kuhn said.

That is a something the Saturn app's developers confirmed, saying on their website that: "We love community. Saturn is community-specific. With our bulletin board, you can post events and make announcements to your entire school. This is prefect for spreading the word about a theater performance, sports game, show, or club meeting. Using status, you can see what friends are up to; and you can use calendar compare to find out when you're both going to be free."

Kuhn has been in his role with the district for two years and says that despite what the Saturn app website says, he believes it poses a safety concern, especially when it comes to sharing schedules.

“And that's not something we normally share because student schedules are private information between the parents and the students in the school," he said. "It's not something we give out to other students. So, we feel it is sharing private student information and it is billing itself dishonestly to parents."

The Saturn app's developer website says the service is currently only available to certain high schools, and that students must verify that they attend the school or they "cannot chat or engage with verified users."

While Kuhn said that anyone who signs up for an account is able to see all the information for everyone else in that same school, the Saturn app developer site says that students can choose to only share their information with friends, or keep it entirely private. Studenst are also able to block specific users if they choose, the site says.

Some parents with students in Volusia County schools say they are concerned about the implications of the app. One mom said she thinks it would be beneficial for law enforcement agencies to put together an outreach program for middle and high schools to alert kids about the dangers of sharing private information on these type of apps.  

Another said one of his main concerns is that parents and teachers can't participate in the app, which he said is a red flag.  

The app also targets students specifically, saying that "Saturn is designed to be used only be active students in high school."

"While teachers, administrators, all play an extremely important role in the educational journey, Saturn communities are for students only," the app's "Safety Center" webpage said.

Kuhn says he's heard of situations that make him wonder how strict the app's verification process is. 

“We've seen many people get on the site that are 40 years old. They're a parent," he said. "They're trying to just see what this thing is about. So, they pretend to be a student just to get an account. And it's not that hard to do."

If that is the case, he said it could potentially leave students vulnerable to predators.

“We don't want our students thinking that they're speaking to other students when they may not be they may be speaking with someone from outside of the school district who doesn't necessarily have their best intentions at heart,” Kuhn said.

Volusia County school officials say they are taking all of the necessary steps to ensure this app is blocked on school networks and devices.

Other school districts like Brevard and Seminole counties as well as Sanford Police have all sent alerts about the risks of using the Saturn app.