A free internet safety presentation for parents and teens 16 and older will be held March 16 to provide information on keeping children safe on the internet. The program is designed to equip parents and caregivers with information and resources they can implement to ensure their children are accessing the internet safely.
Guest speaker Vincent DeVivo, community outreach specialist with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland, will present Innocence Stolen: Protecting our Children Online from 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 16 at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School. The presentation is open to the Charles County community.
The presentation will help parents learn how to protect young people from negative and criminal influences online while providing prevention and intervention strategies and internet safety resources for parents and families to use.
The program does not tell children “What not to do” on the internet. DeVivo said that some children may use information learned from Stolen Innocence to misuse the internet. The presentation discusses topics that could be disturbing to young students including predatory behavior and sexting. It will also discuss topics related to cyberbullying, internet predators and social networking.
“Technology is a great tool for learning and communicating, but it also poses dangers,” said Charmaine Thompson, CCPS chief of instructional technology. “Innocence Stolen is an opportunity for parents to learn from an expert and find out more about protecting their children online.”
Higdon is hosting the program, but it is open to the public. Click here to register for the March 16 Innocence Stolen event at Higdon. The school is at 12872 Rock Point Road in Newburg.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 27,598 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 37 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.
CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).