FSCA NEWS

~ Statewide program is now underway to educate children and keep them safe online ~

 
        TALLAHASSEE, FL – Continuing his statewide kick-off which began yesterday in Tampa, Attorney General Bill McCollum today visited Miami Springs Middle School and spoke to students, teachers and administrators about the importance of cybersafety. Members of the Attorney General's Child Predator CyberCrime Unit are taking the 50-minute cybersafety program into middle and high schools statewide beginning this school year. The cybersafety program is designed to empower children to use the internet safely by combining real-life stories and examples of both dangerous and safe internet use.

        “We are committed to bringing cybersafety education to all middle and high school students in Florida and by doing so, giving them awareness of the dangers on the internet and the skills needed to protect themselves online,” said Attorney General McCollum. “Technology plays a significant and positive role in our children’s lives. However, as technology becomes more sophisticated, predators find new and easier ways to prey on our children. We must take every precaution to keep kids safe and that process begins with education and outreach.”

        In partnership with the Florida Association of District School Superintendents and with the support of both the Florida School Resource Officers Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Attorney General’s victim advocates will present the 50-minute cybersafety program in public and private middle and high schools throughout the state. The program will help students identify the ways they could be victimized online as well as important safety tips to protect themselves from internet child predators.

        During the presentations, the students will receive information about internet dangers as well as the tactics used by online predators. They will also learn what constitutes a cybercrime and how to report it. An open line of communication between the students and the victim advocates will be strongly encouraged to give the opportunity for private disclosure of any offenses. Students will be taught how to recognize when a friend is in “cyber danger” and what they can do to help. The victim advocates will offer counseling to any child who discloses victimization and can refer any reported offenses to law enforcement for investigation.

        In March, the Attorney General and the Florida Association of District School Superintendents formed a partnership aimed at educating students on cybersafety. The partnership focused on planning, constructing and maintaining the Attorney General’s CyberSafety Educational Initiative. Attorney General McCollum emphasized the importance of the support provided by the District School Superintendents, noting they will be instrumental in helping reach Florida’s school children with the message of cybersafety, a message echoed by the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
 
        "Florida's superintendents are eager to be a part of this creative and much-needed approach to ensure the safety of our children. We applaud the Attorney General in his efforts and are excited about the partnership,” said Bill Montford, Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. “Our children will be better prepared to deal with the potential dangers of encountering predators through the internet."

        The Florida Association of School Resource Officers (SRO) has also committed its support to the Attorney General’s efforts. The SRO Program is a collaborative effort by certified law enforcement officers, educators, students, parents and the community to offer law-related educational programs in the schools. The purpose of the program is to reduce crime, drug abuse and violence and provide a safe school environment.

        “I commend Attorney General McCollum for placing such a high priority on our children’s safety,” said Robert Tricquet, president, Florida School Resource Officers Association. “The association is committed to supporting the Office of the Attorney General to ensure Florida students are provided with the information needed to keep them safe while online.” The administrators of the school cybersafety program will share appropriate information with the school resource officers in the local schools so they can keep their eyes and ears open to potential "hot spots." The officers can then focus on those students and their specific concerns.

        To compliment the school program, the Child Predator CyberCrime Unit has also developed the Internet Student Advisory Council, designed to match technology-savvy teenagers with the unit’s cybercrime law enforcement team. The unit’s investigators will work closely with the students to identify new and popular internet trends, including those that could be potentially harmful to young people. Using information provided by the student advisors, cybersafety presenters will speak to kids in their own language and empower them to protect themselves and one another.

        In May, Attorney General McCollum’s office launched a new cybersafety website, located at http://www.safeflorida.net/safesurf  to provide valuable information to adults, teens and kids about staying safe while surfing the internet. The SafeSurf children’s page includes several entertaining and educational games that teach internet safety. The teen SafeSurf page offers tips on safeguarding personal information and avoiding dangerous situations. It also provides a forum for stories from teenagers who were victimized on the internet. The web page for adults offers a guide to popular internet language used in chat rooms and gives safety advice on how to monitor what your children are doing on the internet. Since its inception in May, more than 9,000 people have visited the Attorney General’s SafeSurf website. More information on the Attorney General’s cybersafety initiative is available at http://www.safeflorida.net