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Published: October 02, 2008 04:06 pm
PTO to host Internet safety presentation
By JIM AUSTIN
Cooperstown Crier
Cooperstown Central
School and its PTO will be
hosting a presentation for
parents and community
members on Internet safety
for children next week.
The presentation is entitled,
`Internet Safety:
What your children are doing
that you may not know,
but should.’
The guest speaker,
Charles Mitchell, is a retired
high school principal
and member of the Executive
Board of the Empire
State Supervisors and Administrators
Association
responsible for school safety
issues.
Mitchell serves as Interim
Staff Relations Lead
for the American Red Cross
Disaster Services. Mr.
Mitchell will be working
with all middle/high school
students during the school
day helping them to understand
the need to be
aware of Internet safety issues.
Years ago, children put
their inner most thoughts
in a diary, but today things
are different. ``When children
wrote their thoughts
in a diary with a lock and
key, privacy was paramount.
Then students discovered
email, and then
chat rooms and instant
messages. With each step
privacy of thoughts became
less and less, and the opportunity
for mischief became
greater,’’ Mitchell
wrote in an article entitled,
`Internet Safety: What
your children are doing
that you may not know,
but should.’
According to Mitchell,
students think nothing of
posting where they work,
their age, their school,
whether they drink/smoke
or not, their religion, and
their sexual orientation.
They also post whether
they are `single’ or `in a relationship.
``As parents, we have
the responsibility of continuing
to monitor our
child’s use of our, and
their, computers. We also
have the responsibility of
making sure we are comfortable
with their use,’’ he
wrote. ``And we have the
responsibility to place
`blocks’ on those sites we
do not approve of.’’
Michell suggests that
parents need to maintain
open and honest communication
with their children
about what is acceptable
and unacceptable behavior
on home computers.
``They should talk openly
about the dangers of
sharing personal information
on the Internet and
monitor their childrenĘs
activities on a daily basis
— they are always our
children, even when they
are seniors in high school,’’
Mitchell wrote.
School Superintendent
Mary Jo McPhail said they
hope to raise an awareness
and understanding of internet
for parents and district
residents. The focus
will primarily be on social
networking sites like Facebook
and My Space.
``We encourage all parents
and interested members
of the community to
attend this presentation
on a topic of critical importance,’’
she said.
McPhail said Mitchell
will be working with all
middle/high school students
during the school
day helping them to understand
the need to be
aware of Internet safety issues.
Many students have an
expectation of privacy on
social networking sites and
we want them to be aware
there is no privacy, she
said.
The presentation will
be Wed., Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. in
the Sterling Auditorium at
the middle/high school.
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