The chair of the Brandon school division's board of trustees is speaking out after a 12-year-old girl from the city was charged with uttering threats.

Mark Sefton told CBC News it's rare for student bullying to end up in court.

The girl was charged after she allegedly threatened to harm two other girls on a social media site.

Sefton said cyber bullying is a problem in schools.

"We need to deal with both the victim and the perpetrator," he said. "Often times the perpetrator isn't thinking about the consequences for themselves or the victim."

Schools are working hard to try to protect students from harm both in the real and virtual worlds, said Sefton.

He said cyber bullying is a tricky problem because it often takes place outside of school. However, once the students involved meet at school, Sefton said it becomes a school issue.

Another Brandon youth charged for social media threats

The 12-year-old Brandon girl was not the first youth to be charged this year with uttering threats online.

On Jan. 2, a 14-year-old girl complained that she had received a threatening message from another girl on Facebook, police said.

A police investigation revealed a 17-year-old girl had threatened to kill the victim after having a dispute over some property.

The 17-year-old was charged with threatening to cause death or injury.