Seahawk Parent Roundtable- October 14th

**Jdarg** · 10-09-2008, 08:29 AM

The October Seahawk Parent Roundtable will meet in South Walton High School's media center at 5:30. Our featured topic this month will be the social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, which are used by so many of our students in middle and high school, and how, as parents, we can make sure our kids are safely and apporpriately participating in these sites.

Chuck McMullen, from the Florida Attorney General's office, will be presenting a short program that the state uses to educates kids and parents about the nuts and bolts of the social networking sites . MySpace and Facebook are extremely popular, and it is important for parents to be educated on the content and possibilities for misuse.

Our kids' uses and misuses of MySpace/Facebook can have wide reaching consequences from giving access to sexual predators and affecting future employment to local cyberbulling and sexual content. If you would like to learn how to help your child participate safely and appropriately, please attend this meeting. Parents of middle schoolers are welcome to attend too- many kids are getting their MySpace accounts in middle school.

Please PM me if you have any questions!

**kurt** · 10-09-2008, 09:23 AM

No offspring allowed? I bet a round table with parents, teachers, and students involved would be highly entertaining, revealing, and educational for all.

**Jdarg** · 10-09-2008, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by kurt

No offspring allowed? I bet a round table with parents, teachers, and students involved would be highly entertaining, revealing, and educational for all.

Of course the kids are welcome- but we are not going for a big "reveal" scenario. For anyone that has seen MySpace, I think it can be agreed that it's use by kids needs to have some parental oversight.

The high school kids did have a program last spring. In typical high school fashion, I doubt they shared much of the info with their parents.

What happens during the day goes into that big black hole of the teenage brain, and unless a parent actively attempts to draw it out, there the info will stay.

**wrobert** · 10-09-2008, 10:00 AM

Jdarg,

I may need to start another thread on this but at the last school board meeting they discussed a state mandate to adopt a policy on bullying to conform with some new laws that were passed.

One of the issues that did come up was that it would be considered bullying if a group of students were to exclude another student from associating with them. The example Mark used was if four kids were having lunch together and a fifth was not allowed to join, that would make those four, bullys subject to whatever punishment is ultimately decided for the offense.

I would be very interested in your thoughts on this and feel that this is something that all parents are going to have to make sure that they voice any concerns that they may have when the public hearings on this new rule are held.

**Jdarg** · 10-09-2008, 10:31 AM

Robert, yes please start another thread. What you have posted is interesting and merits discussion, but it is a totally different subject than social networking websites and cyberbullying, which is the focus of this meeting.

**mdd88jd** · 10-09-2008, 11:42 AM

Actually cyberbulling was included in the proposed policy. The State of Florida requires the board to pass this policy and the State prepared a "model policy" for the boards to pass. The "model policy" included the definition that Robert discussed, i.e., social exclusion as prohibited "bullying." I am trying to get the district to post the proposed policy on the website for review before the public hearing. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

**doxiegirl** · 10-09-2008, 03:41 PM

In my day they called that a clique (sp).

**ShallowsNole** · 10-11-2008, 11:34 AM

Cyberbullying is here, and it is real. The specific incident that I am aware of involved several seventh-grade girls at ECMS.

Also, many folks think of sexual predators as older men getting caught on Dateline. There is a lot of that to be sure, but what is disheartening to me is young ladies - local girls - engaging in sexual fantasy storytelling on MySpace with local young men. And of course, vice versa. Put them in a room face-to-face and they won't speak to each other. Put them on the computer and you could make a fortune selling Harlequin romance novels.

*sigh*

**Jdarg** · 10-13-2008, 01:28 PM

Bump!

Hope to see some local parents at the meeting tomorrow night. I know it is a busy week (and believe me, I really know!), but we would like to see some good attendance numbers tomorrow night. Please pass the word to parents of local middle and high schoolers - our children have very active lives online and it is our responsibility to know how to keep them safe and educated.

**Alicia Leonard** · 10-13-2008, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by jdarg

Bump!

Hope to see some local parents at the meeting tomorrow night. I know it is a busy week (and believe me, I really know!), but we would like to see some good attendance numbers tomorrow night. Please pass the word to parents of local middle and high schoolers - our children have very active lives online and it is our responsibility to know how to keep them safe and educated.

We have a reporter that will attend this as well.

**Jdarg** · 10-13-2008, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by aleonard

We have a reporter that will attend this as well.

Great! I hope we have some parents there!

**Jdarg** · 10-14-2008, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by jdarg

Great! I hope we have some parents there!

Bump!

Saw 2 moms today that are coming tonight!

**Jdarg** · 10-16-2008, 04:31 PM

Thanks to all who attended this week�s Seahawk Parent Roundtable. It was quite an eye opening and informative meeting! Chuck McMullen, from the Florida Attorney General�s office, gave a presentation on the internet and our kids. I have to say that I thought I was pretty savvy and hip when it came to the Internet, but quickly realized that I knew nothing. I think other parents came away with the same thought! My notes are scribbled, but I noted the important points of Chuck�s presentation.

The cyber crime unit of the Florida Attorney General�s Office has about 30 employees , and they do everything from investigate cyber fraud to cracking down on internet porn. Chuck started the meeting with information on the most popular internet activities for kids and how they make the kids vulnerable to danger. Online video game sites, where the kids are playing and chatting online, are a big danger, since many games systems are not traceable (can�t find IP addresses), so anybody can access the players. World of Warcraft is the most �law enforcement friendly� since it archives all activity.

Pere2Peer sites such as Limewire, Bearshare, and Kazaa are not great sites either- for example, 85% of Limewire�s available files are now pornographic files. Most of the parents in attendance thought Limewire was all music!

The bad thing about these Peer2Peer sites is that they can be installed, files downloaded, and uninstalled, and nobody is the wiser. There are settings in Windows XP that will block filesharing programs. Chuck wasn�t so familiar with Mac, so Mac users can consult their info. Bottom line- Chuck said there is no reason to use any of these sites, period.

Interesting stats- Who Surfs the Internet Alone? (no parental supervision)---under 12 years: 15% of kids, 12-15 years: 50%, and 16 yrs. 75%. Some crazy and scary figures concerning the percentage of kids sexually solicited online, encountering pornography, etc. are available at the Missing & Exploited Kids website at www.missingkids.com.

Warning signs that your child�s internet use is becoming a problem:
Excessive online use (there are programs available that locks the computer for specified time periods)
Unsupervised time in chat rooms
Drastic behavior and attitude changes
Downloading large graphical files
Receiving gifts/phone calls from adults that you don�t know

Some tips for parents: Parents should be the primary administrators of the computer, and have a record of all kids� screennames and passwords, monitor profiles, make sure screennames are non-descriptive, periodically check internet history, and periodically check archived instant messages (Yahoo IM has this capability).

MySpace and Facebook were discussed- Facebook is the �better� site since it is easier to recognize �outsiders� in groups. Social networking is a huge part of the kids� lives now, and there are so many �dangers� here. Chuck showed a short film about a child who gave away too much info on her Myspace, and the resulting easy success of finding her in the �real world�. Cyberbullying was also discussed, on the internet and through instant messaging- this will become a huge issue in the future because it is very prevalent but �under the radar� at the same time.

My ears perked up when Chuck discussed how colleges are rejecting applicants based on bad things found on the applicant�s profile pages on Myspace and Facebook, and employers are looking and rejecting too. We need to explain this to our children!

For more information, you can go to www.myfloridalegal.com, and they have links to the safe surf websites. Also, you may e-mail specific question or concerns to Chuck McMullen at chuck.mcmullen@myfloridalegal.com. Since he is a government official , he can�t recommend a specific product to put controls on the home computers, but did say the products recommended by Consumer Reports were the best (www.consumerreports.com).

Thanks again to Chuck McMullen, and the parents, teachers, and staff in attendance.

**aggieb** · 10-16-2008, 04:37 PM

wow, thanks jdarg, i didn't realize that about limewire and kazaa, i thought it was solely music as well. interesting.

**ShallowsNole** · 10-17-2008, 10:20 PM

My ears perked up as well when it was mentioned that colleges and employers now routinely check out applicants via their MySpace and Facebook pages (and other parts of the presentation, too). Really scary when kids refuse to believe that the 'net is not private.

**Miss Critter** · 10-19-2008, 10:08 PM

Scarier still was when he said that taking your page/pics down doesn't mean they're no longer available; that there are companies who catalog these things and sell them to colleges/employers/whomever. You can now safely assume "once on the net, forever on the net." Best to keep your drunken, scantily-clad, profanity-laced escapades to yourself, but now that everyone's phone has a camera. . . . .

Good meeting, jdarg. Thanks.

**mdd88jd** · 10-22-2008, 02:06 PM

The School Board will be considering a new bullying (and cyber bullying) policy at a workshop meeting on November 3, 2008 (the Monday before the election) at 4:00 p.m. I am trying to get the district to post the proposed policy on the webpage. Before then, the district can provide you a copy if you call and ask for one. I would love to hear from you guys regarding the policy and any changes you might suggest. Thanks.

**Jdarg** · 10-22-2008, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by mdd88jd

The School Board will be considering a new bullying (and cyber bullying) policy at a workshop meeting on November 3, 2008 (the Monday before the election) at 4:00 p.m. I am trying to get the district to post the proposed policy on the webpage. Before then, the district can provide you a copy if you call and ask for one. I would love to hear from you guys regarding the policy and any changes you might suggest. Thanks.

Thanks Mark- the easier we can make it the better- any chance of posting this on SoWal or getting into the newspapers? I bet many people (including me) will forget to ask for a copy or drive to DeF to get one.

**Jdarg** · 10-23-2008, 06:24 AM

Thanks to the Beach Breeze/DeF Herald and Ashley Amason for the great article about this Roundtable meeting!

If you couldn't make the meeting, Ashley's article is a great summary.

**mdd88jd** · 10-24-2008, 11:41 AM

JDARG, I will see what I can do.....

**Jdarg** · 10-24-2008, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by mdd88jd

JDARG, I will see what I can do.....

Thanks. Easy access to info is everything.

**Alicia Leonard** · 10-24-2008, 02:53 PM

SEXUAL PREDATORS ABOUND IN CYBERSPACE

By ASHLEY AMASON
South Walton High School hosted Chuck McMullen from the Florida Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday, Oct. 14. McMullen spoke to parents about the dangers technology has afforded through social networking sites, file sharing programs, cell phones, and online video games.
In his presentation, McMullen addressed chat rooms, online games, e-mail, peer2peer programs, and social […]
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