News Release - School Resource Officers Join Attorney General's CyberSafety Team

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Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release

September 17, 2008

en Español

Print Version

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

School Resource Officers Join Attorney General's CyberSafety Team

~ 500 school resource officers statewide trained to present critical internet safety program ~

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced a new partnership with the Florida Association of School Resource Officers (FASRO) that allows school resource officers throughout the state to present the Attorney General’s CyberSafety Education program in their schools. This partnership provides Florida’s middle and high schools with hundreds of trained CyberSafety presenters who will also assist principals with scheduling presentations to maximize student attendance. School Resource Officers allow students to connect with an in-house expert in whom they can confide if they’ve been victimized online.

“Our partnership with the Florida Association of School Resource Officers will allow thousands of students to receive lifesaving internet safety information directly from someone they already know and trust - their school resource officer,” said Attorney General McCollum, who made the announcement alongside school officials and members of law enforcement at Leon High School in Tallahassee. “These dedicated sheriff’s deputies and police officers are in our middle and high schools every day and are in an ideal position to help us ensure every student has the information he or she needs to stay safe online.”

The Florida Attorney General's Office began presenting the interactive CyberSafety Education program at public and private schools across the state in September of 2007. Last year, the program reached more than 130,000 students and so far this school year, another 13,500 have received the presentations, which teach them about the risks of and tactics used by online predators. Students also learn what constitutes a cyber crime and how to report it. To date, nearly 7,800 Florida students have reported during these presentations that they’ve received unsolicited pornography or sexually explicit requests over the internet.

“Florida’s school resource officers are excited about this opportunity to work with the students in our school and give them the tools to make safe decisions about internet use,” said Jamie Meeks, president-elect of FASRO and a school resource officer at Chiles High School in Leon County. “Every child who receives this information from Attorney General McCollum’s presentation is that much more likely to avoid becoming a victim of an internet child predator.”

The Attorney General's CyberSafety Education program has been endorsed by the Florida Department of Education, the Florida School Board Association, the Florida Association of School Administrators, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, the Florida School Resource Officers Association, the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association. More information about the Attorney General’s CyberSafety Education program is available online at http://www.safeflorida.net/safesurf.