Internet Safety

While the Internet offers great access to valuable resources, it also provides opportunities for inappropriate content and interactions. The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill requiring school divisions to address Internet safety within their instructional program. HCPS makes every effort to filter inappropriate material, and teachers are responsible for monitoring student Internet use and providing guidance toward appropriate resources. These safety measures may not be in place at home or other locations where students use the Internet, so it is important that we educate the students about appropriate behavior.

To keep students safe, all teachers are expected to:

• Monitor student use of the Internet to ensure that they are complying with the Acceptable Use Agreement. If a student is found visiting a site that is not appropriate, it is the teacher’s responsibility to stop this. If the site was accessed accidentally, the student should be reminded of the Acceptable Use Agreement. If the student was purposely trying to locate inappropriate materials, he/she should be referred to the office for disciplinary action.
• Provide guidance in selecting websites for students to use. If students are conducting research, it is a good idea to provide a list of recommended sites instead of using Google or another search engine. Suggest the use of World Book Online or other databases that are provided for student use. Each school's library has a page with links to these databases.
• Provide expectation that student use of computers is for educational purposes. If students have more than a few minutes of free time on the computer, they are likely to try to locate inappropriate materials. If there is time after the student completes an assignment, the teacher should have appropriate sites for students to use. Many school web pages include links to educational resources.
• Provide age-appropriate instruction on Internet safety as part of regular curriculum. The target focus for each grade level, along with resources and strategies, are included in the digital citizenship curriculum (see below).
• Provide guided searches rather than open searches. Not only can open searches lead to inappropriate material, it also can be a large waste of time as students wade through material that is not relevant or that is intended for a different audience (college students rather than elementary students).

Digital Citizenship Curriculum

HCPS has adopted Common Sense Education's Digital Citizenship curriculum.  Premade lesson plans, classroom resources and take-home resources are available for grades K-12.

Keeping Your Identity Safe

Shopping online is convenient, and it is safe as long as you use common sense and some simple precautions. Legitimate sites use measures such as encryption to safeguard your personal information. Stop by Safeshopping.org for information to help you shop smarter.

Phishing is a way of tricking you into giving out personal information. Those emails that you receive from a bank, Paypal, Ebay, etc. asking you to update your account information are just ways of gathering your personal information. DO NOT DO THIS. Even the annoying SPAM that you receive advertising Viagra and other drugs is more likely designed to collect information than sell you anything. The FDIC reports important information and tips on keeping your personal information safe in You can Fight Identity Theft. You can already read How Not to Get Hooked by a Phishing Scam Tips by the FTC to help you avoid phishing scams.

Spyware is becoming more and more prevalent. While some forms are benign and designed mainly to gather information for marketing, others are malicious and designed to gather personal information. Protect your yourself and your computer. Regularly run software designed to detect and remove spyware. Here are some free solutions that you can download.

• Malwarebytes
• Spybot Search & Destroy