November 20, 2007
Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Attorney General McCollum Brings CyberSafety Program to the Capital City
~ State education associations endorse effort to protect children ~
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today visited Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida’s oldest continuously accredited high school, and spoke to students, teachers and administrators about the importance of cybersafety. Designed to empower children to recognize and avoid internet child predators, the Attorney General’s program combines real-life stories and examples to help students stay safe online.
"The internet provides our young people exciting, ever-expanding opportunities for learning and communicating, but online dangers are also growing and evolving," said Attorney General Bill McCollum. "I greatly appreciate the support of Florida’s education community to bring this message to our children and their parents. Their partnership is vital in our effort to reach every middle and high school student in Florida."
Attorney General McCollum was joined by Dr. Wayne Blanton, Executive Director of the Florida School Boards Association and Jim Warford, Executive Director of the Florida Association of School Administrators, who announced the endorsement of the Attorney General’s CyberSafety Educational Program by their organizations.
"The safety of our students is first and foremost in the minds of all school personnel," said Dr. Wayne Blanton. "The Attorney General’s program goes a long way in making our students safer both in and out of the school setting."
The Florida School Boards Association, Inc. (FSBA) is a nonprofit corporation representing all school board members in Florida. FSBA has been the collective voice for Florida school districts since 1930 and is closely allied with other educational and community agencies to work toward improvement of education in Florida.
"On behalf of Florida's school Principals, I want to thank Attorney General McCollum for providing schools the resources they need to help protect our students from this growing threat," said Jim Warford.
The Florida Association of School Administrators is comprised of administrators, district superintendents, principals, supervisors and those who support the public schools of Florida and is dedicated to the development of effective educational leadership. The Attorney General’s CyberSafety Education Initiative is also supported by the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, the Florida Association of School Resource Officers and the Florida Sheriff’s Association.
Members of the Attorney General’s Child Predator CyberCrime Unit have been bringing the 50-minute cybersafety program to middle and high school students statewide since the beginning of this school year. The program specifically targets middle and high school students to educate them about personal internet safety. During the presentations students receive information about the dangers, risks, and tactics used today by online predators. They also learn what constitutes a cybercrime and how to report it. An open line of communication between the students and the victim advocates is strongly encouraged to give the opportunity for private disclosure. Students are also 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 are then taken when law enforcement is able to investigate an offense. For tips on safe internet surfing, parents, students and educators are encouraged to log on to the Attorney General’s new cybersafety website, http://www.safeflorida.net/safesurffor valuable information about staying safe while online. 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; and 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. Middle and high school principals can click on the red school house icon developed specifically for them and register their school to receive the Attorney General’s cybersafety presentation.