Online Safety & Digital Responsibility
We have received reports of students engaging in inappropriate conversations online when at home using personal devices, often through chats or social media apps. While students may believe they are speaking with friends, the tone, content, or behavior in these exchanges has raised significant concerns that they may not be peers.
To help families navigate these challenges and reinforce the importance of safe digital behavior, we are revisiting a valuable presentation from last year’s Parent University. The presentation, led by Sergeant Amy Gonzalez, a seasoned investigator with the Texas Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Unit, provides critical insight into the risks children face online and what parents can do to protect and support them.
Why This Matters Now:
- Increased Online Interaction: Many students communicate through text, games, and social media after school hours, where adult supervision may be limited.
- Unintentional Harm: Some students may not fully understand what is considered inappropriate or unsafe online behavior.
- Educational Opportunity: By reviewing these resources together, families can reinforce healthy digital boundaries and encourage responsible communication.
How Families Can Help:
- Talk openly with your child about their online experiences, especially with friends and classmates.
- Set clear expectations for digital behavior, just as you would for in-person interactions.
- Use monitoring tools or review app usage to stay informed and involved.
- Remind students that kindness, respect, and safety matter just as much online as they do in person.
Talk With Your Child About Technology
Have regular conversations with your child about technology and social media. Talk with your child in a curious and conversational way rather than in an interview format. Ask your child:
- What are your favorite websites, social media apps, and online games (such as Fortnite)? Why do you like them? What social media do your friends use?
- Do you have a hard time minimizing time spent online, with social media, or games?
- Have you ever witnessed cyberbullying? How did you feel? What would you do if you were a target? How would you be an “upstander”?
- Have you ever received an upsetting text message? What did you do?
- Do you use social media to vent? Do your friends?
- Would you feel comfortable coming to me if you are being bullied? If not, who would you go to?
- Do you know what to do if you witness someone being a target of bullying, exhibiting bullying behavior, or making online threats?
- Do you know about privacy settings? Ask them to show you.
- How do you determine what is safe to post?
If you have any questions, concerns, or would like additional support in discussing these topics at home, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our counselors Ms. Pollock and Ms. Stokes. ([email protected] and [email protected])
Resources for Parents & Caregivers
A Parent's Guide to School Safety Toolkit | Texas School Safety Center
A Parent’s Guide to School Safety introduces key school safety topics, highlights relevant Texas laws, and provides specific information that you, as a parent or guardian, and your child, need to know. The guidance and resources will equip you to support your child and your child’s school. This toolkit is also available in Spanish.
Digital Safety Resources - Be Internet Awesome
Google has partnered with Pear Deck to create interactive presentations and vocabulary flashcards to accompany the Be Internet Awesome curriculum.
Parent / Caregiver Resources
The best resources for parents & caregivers to stay up-to-date on technologies, platforms, and trends that impact our youth.