21st Century Safety in Schools
Connie Holden
Eastern New Mexico University

21st Century Safety in Schools The Internet is a tool for both educators and students. Just as with any tool, especially power tools, we need to read safety precautions before using it. A person who uses a power tool without reading safety guidelines first takes a chance of getting hurt. Although using the Internet may not be physically harmful there still needs to be a set of safety guidelines to adhere to. In 2000 Congress enacted The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) to address this safety. CIPA imposes that all schools and libraries that receive Internet services at a discounted rate follow certain guidelines to help keep students safe while online. In order to continue receiving the discounted rate schools and libraries must certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. Websites that are obscene, contain child pornography, or are harmful to minors must be either blocked or filtered. The policy that schools use is The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). The Acceptable Use Policy outlines rules regarding internet use so that the students, and staff, are protected. It must address a number of issues including personal safety, illegal activities, system security, privacy, plagiarism, copyright infringement and access to inappropriate materials. In addition, it should make it clear to the student that the school’s technology property is to be used for educational purposes only. Student’s rights, such as free speech, and access to information, should be outlined in the document, as should the consequences for violating the Acceptable Use Policy. Teachers need to discuss the Acceptable Use Policy thoroughly with the students to ensure that they understand these rules, just as the parents should before signing the document. Another important tool for keeping students secure is The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act provides parents and all students with certain rights with respect to education records. These rights extend to students in all grade levels, beginning in preschool and extending through their years in postsecondary institutions. As more and more information becomes electronic and accessible online, it is important to remain aware of protecting student privacy as well as with whom and how student information should be shared. The network management team has to remain vigilant about keeping software programs updated in order to keep the information secure. Each school district has a Network Management team that is responsible for making sure that the software needed to filter or block inappropriate websites or content is installed and updated often. However, as we all know sometimes these things have glitches from time to time and may not work properly. It is up to the teacher to make sure each student has an AUP in order to use the internet and that they understand that if they come across anything questionable they are to let the teacher know immediately. If each of these guidelines is known and enforced correctly the Internet will be a much safer tool for our students.

Resources Children's Internet Protection Act. Retrieved on October 6, 2012 from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act. I Safe Dig Deeper. Acceptable Use Policies. Why do Schools Need AUP’s?. Retrieved on October 3, 2012 fromhttps://enmu.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-318089-dt-content-rid-768249_1/courses/XList_P_201210_EG/AUPsunit7.pdf.
US Department of Education. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Retrieved on October 3, 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html.