I-Safe Program

How many times have you reminded your children to look both ways before crossing the street, or to not talk to strangers?  Now that children and teens are spending more time than ever on the Internet, there’s a new set of precautions to remind them about.  Just as we’ve been teaching them about physical safety in the real world, we need to help them be safer in the online world.

 Consider these Facts:

• 1 in 4 children/teens, ages 10 to 17 have been exposed to unwanted sexual material online.
• 1 in 5 children/teens under the age of 17 have received unwanted sexual solicitations online.
• 1 in 33 children/teens have received an aggressive solicitation to meet somewhere.
• 96% of those who solicited teens online were under age 25, 48% were under the age of 18.
• 49% of online solicitations are not disclosed.
• 6% of children/teens ages 10 to 17 are threatened or harassed online and only about half reported the incident to their parents.

The Pulaski County School System has recently partnered with I-SAFE America to bring Internet Safety education to Pulaski County Schools.  The I-SAFE program provides students with the awareness and knowledge they need in order to recognize and avoid dangerous, destructive, or unlawful online behavior and to respond appropriately.

I-SAFE America, Inc. is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to educate and empower youth to safely and responsibly take control of their Internet experience.  This project is supported by a grant awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, and the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The I-SAFE curriculum includes lessons for all grades from Kindergarten through the twelfth grade.  The integrated teaching and learning activities are age appropriate and vary from grade to grade.

Among the many online threats to children including exposure to pornography, harassment, and cyber stalking, the most dangerous threat is “cyber grooming”.  Cyber grooming is the process of gaining trust and building false relationships to entice victims.

Because parent and community (e.g. business, church group, scout leadership, youth group) involvement is essential to the success of i-SAFE, it is equally important for parents and members of the community to be knowledgeable of these topics.  To assist these groups in attaining this information, Pulaski County School Resource Officer, Michael Grigsby of the Somerset Police Department, and Pulaski County District Technology Coordinator, Teresa Hail, have completed the training program and are available to schedule school and community activities aimed at increasing Internet Safety awareness. 

While the Pulaski County School District believes this curriculum is necessary to protect and empower students during the school year, we also hope parents and guardians will offer support to this program this summer by doing the following:

• Place home computers in a common area of the house and face the monitor toward the door.
• Frequently monitor your child’s online activities and regularly review the History and Temporary Internet files.

Should you have any additional questions or would like someone to present some of this material to your organization, please contact Teresa Hail, District Technology Coordinator for Pulaski County Schools, at 679-1123.

Please feel free to check out what I-Safe has to offer, visit their web-site listed under Teacher and Student Links.

Also Check out CC's Rules for Internet Safety

Back to Homepage