~ CyberSafety program in nearly 200 schools throughout the state this year
~
TALLAHASSEE, FL – LawFuel.com – Law Newswire – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his
CyberSafety Education program has already exceeded the 100,000 student
mark during the 2008/2009 school year, an important milestone in just over
five months. The interactive 50-minute program combines real-life stories
and examples to help middle and high school students identify ways they
could be victimized by online predators and to encourage safe internet
use.
“Children are spending increasingly more time online, and unfortunately,
so are the predators,” said Attorney General McCollum. “It is imperative
that we teach Florida’s children how to protect themselves so they can
have safer experiences online.”
Last fall, the Attorney General’s Office announced a new partnership with
the Florida Association of School Resource Officers (FASRO) to help bring
the CyberSafety Education program to more students. Hundreds of school
resource officers throughout the state have been trained to present the
program in their schools and have to date completed more than 250
presentations.
Available to middle and high school students since September of 2007, 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, the Florida Sheriffs
Association and the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. The
presentations have also been hailed as among the best in the nation by
John Walsh, co-founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children and host of America’s Most Wanted.
Designated school personnel may schedule presentations by logging onto
http://www.safeflorida.net/safeschools and following the prompts. All
eligible schools have been assigned passwords by the Attorney General’s
Office to assist the scheduling process, which has yet to be completed by
more than 1,000 middle and high schools. Parents and students alike are
encouraged to request their school schedule presentations before the end
of the school year.
