Michigan: Office of the Attorney General: Cyber Safety Initiative

The district complies with:

1. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 
   
   Resources on Privacy Protection:
   Students  Adults  Teachers  More Resources
    

2. The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), a federal law enacted by Congress in December 2000 to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers.

CIPA: No filtering system or software can guarantee 100% blocking of inappropriate Internet sites.  However, these are the steps the Grosse Pointe Public School System has taken:

1. The district uses the 8e6 content filter on all computers in the district.  The software is installed on our proxy servers through which all Internet traffic travels. The software blocks Instant Messages (IMs), blogs, and chat rooms. The content filter also blocks many other content categories such as violence, adult content, and gambling.

2. Access to IMs and peer-to-peer file sharing (illegal music and video sharing) are blocked by the firewall, which works in conjunction with the proxies and content filter to keep our network environment safe.

3. In addition, students are blocked from searching for images via Google and similar search engines. The district subscribes to NetTrekker DI, a "trusted" search engine that is accessible from home or school along with a virtual library of online subscriptions for students and faculty.

4. Middle and high school students sign AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) agreements at the start of each school year. Students who violate the AUP are disciplined by school administrators and may lose computer privileges. 

5. All elementary students view and discuss an "acceptable use" slideshow at the beginning of each school year.

6. Middle and high school students obtain email accounts after signing their AUP. Elementary students do not use email accounts.

7. To ensure privacy, students' full names or first names with pictures cannot be posted on any district web or page.  Students' first names OR pictures may be posted with permission from parents. Parent permission forms are included in the informational packets distributed each school year.

The district will be working with Web Wise Kids to deliver Internet safety lessons to middle and high school students in the 2007-2008 school year. Web Wise Kids, dedicated to the protection of children from online predators, takes a pro-active approach against predators through preventive measures. The organization has developed a number of modules for middle and high school students.  A parent/ community module - Wired with Wisdom is available online for $19.95.

To comply with a new state standard on Internet safety, we will also develop a  new lesson on Internet safety and precautions for students in grades 3-5.
 

Web Wise Kids printable resources (PDF documents)

• News brief - MySpace - Part 1

• News brief - MySpace - Part 2

• Internet Safety Tips for Kids and Parents

• Safety Tips for Kids

• Statistics

Michigan Technology Standards (PDF documents)

• Grades K-2

• Grades 3-5

• Grades 6-8

• Grades 9-12

Chat Rooms and Other Internet Risks

1. Child Safety on the Information Highway: Safety tips for elementary children in PDF.

2. Facts about Internet Predators (Wayne Co. Sheriff)

3. Identity Theft: What to Do (Wayne Co. Sheriff)

4. Lessons Children Learn on Internet Safety Can Be Lessons for Living: Article from Smart Teens

5. NetSafe Kids - A Guide for Parents - protecting Children from pornography and sexual predators on the Internet.

6. What Should You Do If You Suspect Your Child Is Communicating With A Sexual Predator On-line? (Wayne Co. Sheriff)

Filtering and Blocking Links and Tools

1. AOL Parental Controls; How to Set AOL Controls, Including the Blocking of IMs

2. Computer Cop (free software distributed by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office) phone: 313.224.0615

3. CyberPatrol: Records where kids are going online, when they are there, and how long they stay. Chats and games can be blocked.

4. Cybersitter Monitoring Software

5. iProtectYou Monitoring and Filtering Software

6. Net Nannn Filtering Software

7. Sentry Parental Controls and Monitoring Software

8. Specter Pro 5.-0 Monitoring Software (Keylogging software that records e-mails, instant messages, and site activity, then reports back to parents.)

9. Software Packages for Keeping Kids Safe

10. Spybuddy Loggin Software: Logging software that records every keystroke, Instant Messages, emails, and changes made to the hard drive.

11. Tools for Families: There are many tools available that parents can employ to guide their children to safe and rewarding online experiences. This site includes some tips for choosing the tool or tools that are right for your family.

Lesson Plans and Materials on Internet Safety

1. Lesson Plans for Internet Safety at ISafe

2. Lesson Plans on Internet Safety from CyberSmart (by age level)

Safe Searching

1. Child-Safe Searching on the Web: The Internet contains a vast amount of resources, making it an excellent research tool for kids. However, there's a lot of inappropriate material on the web. To help parents and educators, various tools have been created to filter out "the dirt". This section is designed to give an overview of safe searching and provide specifics about available defense methods, i.e. tools, kids' browsers and specialized and filtered search engines.

2. Grosse Pointe Schools' NetTrekker search engine: Note: Can be accessed at home

3. Kid Safe Search Engines

Safety Activities, Guides and Tips

1. CyberAngels: Our mission is to function as a "virtual 411" safety destination, and to address the concerns of parents, the needs of children, on-line abuse and cyber crime, while supporting the right of free speech.

2. Cybersmart: Information about Information and Communication Technology skills for teaching, learning and living in a connected world.

3. CyberTipline (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children): Resources to help teens protect themselves online and information for parents and guardians.

4. 4SafetyToday:features tutorials, safety guides, and information about Internet crimes

5. FBI Parent's Guide to Internet Safety

6. Get NetWise:  Find out how to identify online trouble and who to contact for help. This site is organized into four sections:

   Learn about the risks kids face online, Search or browse for Internet safety products, browse great sites families can visit together, and Learn how to identify online trouble and get law enforcement contact information.

   Stopping Unwanted E-mail and Spam  Learn how to prevent unwanted email from flooding your inbox and how to report the spammers.

   Protecting Your Computer From Hackers and Viruses Learn about the risks that hackers and viruses pose to your computer files and software. Take steps to prevent viruses from infecting your software and to keep hackers from compromising your computer.

   Keeping Your Personal Info Private Learn about tools and techniques to better control how much personal information you share with online stores, Web sites, e-mailers and other people who may use your computer

7. Keeping Kids Safe Online: The Police Notebook

8. Kids' Rules for Online Safety

9. Internet Safety for Kids - Michigan State Police

10. Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace for Parents & Kids

11. NetSmartz.org: Includes Internet safety news, statistics and online safety tips for young people.

12. Parent’s Safety Guide to Social Networking: Quick tips, security options, and recommended resources.

13. SafeTeens: Advice for teens and parents about using the Internet safely.

14. Social Networking Terms

15. Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens: Social networking safety tips from the Federal Trade Commission.

16. Stop Cyberbullying: Find out what cyberbullying is, why it happens, and how to prevent it from happening.

17. The NetLingo Top 20 Internet Acronyms Every Parent Needs to Know

18. Wired Safety.org:WiredSafety provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of all ages. We also help parents with issues, such as MySpace and cyberbullying.

Web Safety Activities

1. Disney's Surf Swell Island

2. Internet Safety Quiz for Kids