Parent Resources for Internet Safety

Internet/Computer Safety at School

The district takes measures to ensure students’ safety when using the Internet by complying with regulations outlined in the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. These measures include filtering or blocking of of access to certain material on the Internet and monitoring of Web sites visited by students as a measure to restrict access to materials that may be harmful to minors. In addition, the following rules will be enforced in the district:

• Use of the Internet will be for educational purposes only as assigned by an instructor.
• No student will be allowed to access the Internet without a staff member being present.
• It is the student’s responsibility to avoid accessing, posting or sending objectionable material/messages. Further, it is the student’s responsibility to terminate inadvertent access.
• Students are not to access any chat sites without the permission of the instructor in charge.
• E-mail is to be used for educational purposes only under the direct supervision of an instructor.

District policies prohibit unauthorized access (including hacking) and other unlawful activities that compromise the security of district data, software and equipment and/or student or staff work space. Violations of these policies may result in disciplinary action.

Internet Safety at Home

Things are a little different for today’s preteens and teens. In fact, many children are posting their innermost thoughts right on the Internet on such social networking websites as Facebook, and Instagram. As a parent, you’ll want to be aware of these sites. Even though students are blocked from accessing them on Schuylerville’s campus computers, they can still get to the sites from other computers with Internet access.

Tips for Parents

• Just as you speak with your children about not talking to strangers, emphasize the same point when speaking about staying safe on the Internet. Make sure they know that people can easily misrepresent themselves online.
• Talk to kids about the dangers of moving from the virtual world of the computer to the real world.
• Use the issues surrounding blogs and social networking sites as an opportunity to form a partnership with your children. Kids can teach you about the technology if you’re not skilled in this area, while you can teach your children about Internet street smarts.
• Set up your own site on Facebook and other similar sites and monitor what your children and their friends are talking about. Ask to see your children’s profiles and sites to ensure no personal details are posted that would identify your children (name, town, phone number, contact information, information about family members or friends). Similarly, check out the sites posted by your children’s friends; be sure they are not posting revealing details about your children, such as full names, screen names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers or when and where they’re getting together.
• Check photos posted for details that could indicate a child’s identity or location. For example, if your children are wearing Schuylerville sweatshirts (or even job uniforms), predators have an indication where to find them.
• Be sure your children know that there are different security settings they can use when establishing a social networking site. These settings mean the difference between just a few “friends” reading material to anyone on the Internet accessing the material. Instruct children not to post anything they wouldn’t want the world to know. For example, ask would your children want a teacher or college recruiter to know that they cheated on a test? Yes, college recruiters are now checking blogs and other social networking sites, as are potential employers and teachers.
• If you feel you can’t trust your child to refrain from posting potentially dangerous information, restrict computer usage by using blocking/filtering software or by moving the computer to a public area in your home so you can monitor usage. Be aware, though, that children will likely have computer access at friends’ homes.