News Release - Attorney General McCollum Recognizes First Florida School to Complete CyberSafety Program

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Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

November 8, 2007

en Español

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Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Attorney General McCollum Recognizes First Florida School to Complete CyberSafety Program

~ Entire student body receives internet safety education at Jacksonville middle school ~

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today recognized Arlington Middle School in Jacksonville for being the first school in Florida to educate its entire student body about internet safety through the Attorney General's CyberSafety Education Program. Members of the Attorney General's Child Predator CyberCrime Unit began taking the 50-minute cybersafety presentation into middle and high schools statewide at the start of the 2007-2008 school year. Designed to empower children to use the internet safely, the program combines real-life stories and examples to help students identify the ways they could be victimized online.

"Our goal is to educate all middle and high school students in Florida and, by doing so, give them the skills needed to protect themselves online. I commend Arlington Middle School for being the first school in the state to educate every one of their students on cybersafety," said Attorney General Bill McCollum. "I encourage all Florida principals to visit our website and register your schools. As technology continues to evolve, we must take every precaution to keep kids safe and that process begins with education and outreach."

Arlington Middle School in Duval County boasts a 900-member student body of sixth, seventh and eighth graders. "After attending the presentation I was amazed at how easy it is to find information on children through the internet, and it scared me to think that someone could have access to information that I considered private," said Arlington Principal Deborah P. Smith. "Our students were very concerned and became better educated about how safe they really are when they go onto the internet. The Attorney General's program was terrific! We would love to make this a regular event at our school."

The Attorney General's Victim Advocates are presenting the cybersafety program, which specifically targets middle and high school students. During the presentations, the students receive information about the dangers, risks and tactics being used by online predators. They also learn what constitutes a cybercrime and how to report it. An open communication between the students and the victim advocates is strongly encouraged to give the opportunity for private disclosure of any internet threats or solicitations. Students are taught how to recognize when a friend is in "cyber danger" and what they can do to help. The victim advocates offer referral resources and counseling to any child who discloses victimization and steps can be taken when law enforcement officers with the CyberCrime Unit are able to investigate an offense.

To highlight the program, Attorney General McCollum's office established 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. The site now offers a link for principals to register their schools to receive the Attorney General's CyberSafety presentation. For more information on the Attorney General's cybersafety initiative, please visit http://www.safeflorida.net.