Internet Safety Information for School Personnel
From the Virginia Department of Education Guidelines and Resources for Internet Safety in Schools

School Board

Each school board must review and approve its division’s revised acceptable use policy and implementation plan as presented by the superintendent. The board must ensure the policy complies with current federal, state, and local laws relating to Internet safety.

The Internet is invaluable, educationally and administratively; however, as with all tools, it can be misused and dangerous. In addition, the Internet constantly changes.

• The board should understand the Internet’s educational advantages and how it is used in the division.
• The board must understand the potential risks of using the (1) Internet for instruction and (2) technology networks for data collection, storage, and communication.
• Board members should stay up-to-date with new developments in capabilities, vulnerabilities, and legal issues related to the Internet and school responsibilities. 

As with any system, the division must have clear and effective policies and procedures to protect students and prevent misuse. Policies and procedures also must be in place for crisis management.

• A systematic review of policies and procedures needs to be carried out at least yearly.
• Since risks cannot be completely eliminated, the division should be prepared to handle a crisis.
• Funding for security and safety technology should be anticipated and planned. 

Communication among all stakeholders is imperative for safety and security policies to be effective. Although school legal responsibility may not extend to home Internet use, school staff can help prevent tragic situations by ensuring parents and students are well-informed.

• Providing information to parents should be a priority. 
• Students and parents must know the policies and the consequences associated with violations. 
• Professional development for all educators on Internet safety should be a high priority. 
• Funding needs to be budgeted regularly for better communication and training, which must be evaluated for its effectiveness

Administration

School administrators should play key roles in developing and implementing a division policy that protects children on the Internet. They ultimately must enforce the division’s acceptable use policy and Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel (TSIP) and understand the information needs of all stakeholders: teachers, instructional technology resource teachers, technology personnel, library media specialists, counselors, principals, resource officers, parents, local law enforcement agencies, and civic organizations.

Administrators must oversee all aspects of the Internet safety program.

• Review annually the division’s technology infrastructure with appropriate technology staff, making improvements as needed.
• Monitor the quality and effectiveness of Internet safety information presented to the respective stakeholder groups.
• Incorporate Internet safety into the division’s professional development plans and community outreach programs.
• Schedule continuing professional development to keep educators aware of the most recent Internet safety developments.

The Internet is invaluable, educationally and administratively; however, as with all tools, it can be misused and dangerous. In addition, the Internet constantly changes.

• Administrators should understand the Internet’s educational advantages and how it is used throughout the division.
• Administrators must understand the potential risks of using the (1) Internet for instruction and (2) technology networks for data collection, storage, and communication.
• Administrators should stay up-to-date with new developments in capabilities, vulnerabilities, and legal issues related to the Internet and school responsibilities.
• Schools should appoint a staff member—a security officer or other appropriate person—to make sure this policy is implemented.

As with any system, the division must have clear and effective policies and procedures in place to protect students and help prevent misuse of the system. In addition, policies and procedures must be in place for crisis management.

• A systematic review of policies and procedures needs to be carried out at least yearly.
• Since risks cannot be completely eliminated, the division should be prepared to handle a crisis.
• Guidelines and Resources for Internet Safety in Schools
• Filters are helpful but not fail proof. As students become more experienced, they may use circumventor sites to get around filtering software controls.
• Funding for security and safety technology should be anticipated and planned.

Communication among all stakeholders is imperative for safety and security policies to be effective. Although a school’s legal responsibility does not extend to home Internet use, school leaders can help prevent tragic situations by ensuring parents and students are well-informed.

• Administrators should inform parents regularly about new Internet safety information.
• Students and parents must know the policies and the consequences associated with violations.
• Professional development on Internet safety must be a high priority.
• Funding needs to be budgeted regularly for better communication and training, which must be evaluated for its effectiveness.
• The acceptable use policy’s Internet safety component should clearly emphasize that protecting children is a high priority.

Instructional staff

Educators: Teachers play a vital role in continually educating students about the Internet. K-12 curriculum provides many opportunities to educate students about the power of the Internet and how to safely utilize the resources available to them. 

School Resource Officers: In Roanoke County, the resource officer’s top priority is to promote a safe environment for students, faculty and staff. In addition to enforcing criminal and traffic laws and county ordinances, the resource officer seeks out proactive measures to minimize the occurrence of crimes in and out of the school. Classroom instruction allows the resource officer to cultivate positive relationships with students through the sharing of knowledge on topics such as conflict resolution, attributes of a productive citizen, accountability for one’s actions, and the dangers associated with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. 

Classroom Internet use can be exciting, rewarding, and challenging. Students’ Internet use should be tailored to their ages.

• Teachers should create age appropriate activities for students.
• Students’ varying developmental stages and Internet skills will produce different issues and problems for each age group.
• Educators should maintain open communication with parents about students’ academic Internet use—in guided classroom settings and independently. 

Monitoring is crucial.

• Filters are not fail proof. Teachers and librarians must watch where students go on the Internet—just as they would keep an eye on them during a field trip. Computer labs may be configured to assist with this supervision. 
• Students should not be allowed to wander aimlessly on the Internet. Teachers must provide an academic purpose before allowing students to go online. 
• Teachers need to acquaint themselves with new tools that allow students to visit protected sites. As much as possible, they should go into history and examine the pages students have viewed. 
• Classroom and library rules must comply with the division’s acceptable use policy regarding the steps students should take after accidentally accessing an inappropriate site. 
• Technical staff need to utilize the division’s network tracking controls and study the generated reports, which may identify patterns of inappropriate use. 
• Teachers need to keep up-to-date on Internet safety issues and provide accurate, timely information to students. 

Student technological interactions in the virtual world can be negative and spill over into the real world.

• Educators need to learn about cyberbullying, recognize the signs of a bullied student, and know what to do about it. 
• Students must be taught which types of personal information are safe to share with others. 
• Online and wireless communications—even with known friends or peers—can compromise students’ privacy as technology-savvy predators may eavesdrop. 
• Students must understand that people are not always who they claim to be and that Internet information is not always accurate or appropriate. 
• Exchanging information with others is a great way to use the Internet but also possesses inherent dangers.
• Educators must know and enforce school policies on exchanging or downloading files. 
• School staff should be alerted continually about potential email dangers and learn how to recognize the problem signs. 
• Online journals and blogs, even when password-protected, may reveal more personal information than a student intends. Technology-savvy predators can circumvent many safeguards offered by journal and blogging sites. 
• Educators should check the age appropriateness of any social-networking sites that students visit. 

Students need to hear the rules often.

• Teachers should establish and post rules for safe Internet use near computers in classrooms, libraries, and labs. Students should be reminded regularly that the rules are intended to ensure their safety. 
• Teachers should go over the rules with students periodically. As a result, the students—even when excited or upset—will be more likely to remember the rules. 
• Students and their parents should know the consequences of disobeying the rules. Educators must keep the lines of communication open with students and parents. 
• Schools must be consistent and fair in enforcing classroom rules and the division’s acceptable use policy.

Non instructional staff

Instructional Assistants, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, non-teacher coaches, itinerant teachers, visiting teachers, office staff and school nurses all have an opportunity to share Internet Safety information with students.