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How to Help Kids Identify Dangerous Strangers

Step 1 - Explain to your children that strangers are not people who are 'strange' looking. Any person who they do not know or have not seen before is a stranger. They do not like bad guys on television, monsters or aliens. Strangers are ordinary people. Point out someone who neither one of you know and say, "We are strangers to that person."

Step 2 - Tell your children to be aware of any person telling them that either Mom or Dad is sick or injured. Tell them that it doesn't matter if the person claims to know your parents or anyone related to you; they are still a stranger to them.

Step 3 - Tell your children to be wary of adults offering them candy or toys, asking for help finding a lost dog or asking for directions. Kids naturally want to be helpful and are unaware that most pedophiles or child abductors are always extremely friendly or personable to their potential targets. Tell your child that adults needing help should never ask a child for help; they should seek help from other adults.

Step 4 - If a car comes close to your children or drives slowly around your child and someone they don't recognize is driving, they should immediately tell any and all adults around them. Explain that someone they don't know driving around in a car could be extremely dangerous.

Step 5 - Teach your children that sometimes they will meet strangers in safe places such as school or the YMCA. These strangers may be there to speak to them or help them with something. Although these strangers may not necessarily be dangerous, your children should still not go anywhere with them unless their teacher is present.

Tips & Warnings

Come up with a code word for you and your children. Using the code word can mean danger or that something is wrong without necessarily alerting the stranger.
Review these tips every time your children go to the park or some place they can come into contact with strangers. Make them repeat them back to you.
Report any and all suspicious activity. Remember that when it comes to your children, it is better to be safe than sorry!
Identifying strangers can be hard for children and adults alike, as there is no way to tell if a person is good or bad on sight.
Refrain from teaching children to fear strangers but instead to identify a situation that may be dangerous.
Although children should always be respectful to adults, they should feel free to let you as a parent know if another adult makes them feel scared or uncomfortable.
If your child feels uncomfortable, teach them to yell 'No!" loudly and to run someplace safe

Connerty, Stacie How to help kids identify dangerous strangers. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from eHow Web site: http://www.ehow.com/how_2302152_help-kids-identify-dangerous strangers.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

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School Safety

For most of the year, children spend more time at school than anywhere else other than their own home. At school, children need a secure, positive, and comfortable environment to help them learn.

Overall, schools are one of the safest places children can be. However, issues such as bullying and theft, can make students feel less safe. There are specific ways that parents can make going to school a safer and more valuable learning experience for their children.

In the Classroom

Kids need a safe and comfortable environment to learn to the best of their capabilities. This means they have to feel safe in their school and be able to positively interact with their teachers and classmates. By doing the following, parents and other adults can help make sure children have a positive school experience.

Talk to your children about their day. Sometimes children won’t tell you right away if they are having problems at school. Ask your children if they see anyone bullied, if they are bullied, or if anything else makes them feel uncomfortable. Look for warning signs, such as a sudden drop in grades, loss of friends, or torn clothing.

Teach children to resolve problems without fighting. Explain that fighting could lead to them getting hurt, hurting someone else, earning a reputation as a bully, or receiving consequences at school. Talk to them about other ways they can work out a problem, such as talking it out, walking away, sticking with friends, or telling a trusted adult.

Keep an eye on your children’s internet use. All AISD schools have computers with internet access. Students are monitored when they use the internet and a blocking device, Websense, has been installed to prevent children from accessing explicit websites. Talk to your children about what they do online – what sites they visit, who they email, and who they chat with. Let them know they can talk to you if anything they see online makes them uncomfortable, whether it’s an explicit website or a classmate bullying them, or someone else through email, chat, or websites.

Every Allen ISD campus has established a school safety plan specifically for that campus. Speak to your child’s campus administrator if you would like to see a copy of the school safety plan.

(2008). National Crime Prevention Council. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from School Safety Web site: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/by-audience/parents/school-safety

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Traveling To and From School

Map out with your children a safe way for them to walk to school or to the bus stop. Avoid busy roads and intersections. Do a trial run with them to point out places they should avoid along the way, such as vacant lots, construction areas, and parks where there aren’t many people.
Discourage your child from taking a different route home from school. This includes stopping to play or visit at a friend’s home without your knowledge or permission.

Teach children to follow traffic signals and rules when walking or biking. Stress that they should cross the street at crosswalks or intersections with crossing guards when they can.

Encourage children to walk to school or the bus stop with a sibling or friend, and to wait at bus stops with other children.

Teach children not to talk to strangers, go anywhere with them, or accept gifts from them without your permission. Tell them that if they see a suspicious stranger hanging around or in their school they should tell an adult.
If your child will be home alone after school, have your child call and check in as soon as they arrive home.

Help children memorize their phone number and full address, including area code and zip code. Write down other important phone numbers such as your work and cell phone on a card for your children to carry with them.

(2008). National Crime Prevention Council. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from School Safety Web site: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/by-audience/parents/school-safety

On the Bus

Have your children arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to pick them up.

Make sure children know to stand on the sidewalk or on the grass while waiting for the bus.

Teach children to make sure they can see the bus driver and the bus driver can see them before crossing in front of the bus. Tell them to never walk behind the bus.
Encourage your child to maintain good behavior while on the bus. This includes using soft voices, staying in his/her seat, and following additional rules established by the bus driver.

Be aware that often bullying takes place on the school bus. Ask children about their bus - who they sit with, who they talk to, and what the other kids do. Let them know that if they see someone being bullied, or are bullied themselves, they can talk to you, the bus driver, or another trusted adult.
It is important for safe adults to assist young children with both departures and arrivals and to teach children only to get into vehicles of known and trusted safe adults.
Parents should also review rules with their children such as not getting off of a bus at an unfamiliar place, not boarding an unfamiliar bus, going straight home when exiting the bus, and walking and waiting in a group if an adult is not present.

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Internet Safety

Technology today allows kids wonderful opportunities to learn, recreate, and communicate. On the other hand, it also provides the means for kids to make mistakes that may lead to trouble. These mistakes are mostly errors in judgment, some large, some small, but all of them things you should think about.

While it's important for the computer to be somewhere that parents can easily monitor, there are so many tech toys that have Internet access that also need supervision! Examples include Sony PSP, Apple Itouch, Nintendo Wii, and your child’s cell phone. If you have a wireless home network (aka Wi-Fi) or your neighbor has an unsecured Wi-Fi, your child may be online without your knowledge. Make sure your child knows your rules and limits include these devices.

Most kids say that they would never share their passwords, but sometimes they may allow a friend to use it for "just for a second" to help them with a game or redesign their MySpace page. Make sure your children know that if they have shared a password, they should let you know so you can change the password immediately. Don't let your child's gaming account get deleted or depleted because they "forgot" your family rules and didn't know how to fix it.

Talk with children about the benefits and risks of the Internet. Ask them what they do online, what websites they visit, who they chat with, and what games they play.

When possible, go online with your children. Have them show you their favorite websites, online games, and chat rooms.

Go online and look at websites, chat rooms, and blogs that your children might visit. This will help you identify what you think is important to discuss with them. Make a list of any websites you find that you think your children will enjoy and share it with them.

With your children, agree on rules of what they can and cannot do online, when they can go on the Internet, and how long they can stay.

Have your children sign an internet pledge and post it by the computer so they remember how to stay safe online.

If your children tell you that they saw something inappropriate online, don't blame or punish them. Remember that how you react will affect what your children share with you in the future.

Ask who your children talk to online and how they communicate (i.e. email, instant messenger, chat rooms, blogs, etc.). Tell them that you expect them to be as nice online as they are offline. Make sure they know the dangers of meeting new friends online.

Decide if you want to allow your children to purchase items or sign up for online services (e.g., membership to a gaming website) on their own or if they should ask your permission first.

Teach children about plagiarism. Explain that if they conduct online research they must give attribution to the author, organization, or website that created the content.

Talk with children about downloading music and movies online. If you decide to let your children download files onto your computer, show them legal ways to do so, such as using pay per download or pay per month services like iTunes and Napster.

Consider using a filter, blocking, or ratings system for your computer.

Free on line monitoring systems are available for your home computers. This system will track websites your child has visited, track e-mails, and read instant message and social network postings that your child has made - http://www.gomcgruff.com/m/index.asp

(2008). Internet safety. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from National Crime Prevention Council Web site: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/by-audience/parents/internet-safety

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Online Rules Every Kid Should Follow

Never share your personal information (like name, age, or location).

Never share your password.

Don't download games or programs, even if they're free, without getting Mom's or Dad's permission first.

Never click on e-mails from anyone you don't know.

Don't click on anything that pops up in another window -- even if it looks like a free game or a trip to Disney.

Always be polite and think before you type.

Never chat with someone who isn't your friend in real life.

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Cyberbullying

Young people are using the Internet more than ever and most have Internet access from home. For many children, the Internet isn't simply a convenient way to research or a fun afterschool activity - it's a big part of their social life. Emailing and chatting with friends are children's most common online activities, after studying and playing games. But like many other social situations, some kids bully other kids online.

Cyberbullying is similar to other types of bullying, except it takes place online and through text messages sent to cell phones. Cyberbullies can be classmates, online acquaintances, and even anonymous users, but most often they do know their victims.

Some examples of ways kids bully online are:

Sending someone mean or threatening emails, instant messages, or text messages.
Excluding someone from an instant messenger buddy list or blocking their email for no reason.
Tricking someone into revealing personal or embarrassing information and sending it to others.
Breaking into someone's email or instant message account to send cruel or untrue messages while posing as that person.
Creating websites to make fun of another person such as a classmate or teacher.
Using websites to rate peers as prettiest, ugliest, etc.

Both boys and girls sometimes bully online and just as in face-to-face bullying, tend to do so in different ways. Boys more commonly bully by sending messages of a sexual nature or by threatening to fight or hurt someone. Girls more often bully by spreading rumors, sending messages that make fun of someone or exclude other. They also tell secret.

(2008). Cyberbullying. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from National Crime Prevention Council Web site: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/by-audience/parents/bullying/cyberbullying/

The Effects of Cyberbullying

Victims of cyberbullying may experience many of the same effects as children who are bullied in person, such as a drop in grades, low self-esteem, a change in interests, or depression. However cyberbullying can seem more extreme to its victims because of several factors:

Occurs in children's home. Being bullied at home can take away the place children feel most safe.
Can be harsher. Often kids say things online that they wouldn't say in person, mainly because they can't see the other person's reaction.
Far reaching. Kids can send emails making fun of someone to their entire class or school with a few clicks, or post them on a website for the whole world to see.
Anonymity. Cyberbullies often hide behind screen names and email addresses that don't identify who they are. Not knowing who is responsible for bullying messages can add to a victim's insecurity.
May seem inescapable. It may seem easy to get away from a cyberbully-just get offline-but for some kids not going online takes away one of the major places they socialize.

Cyberbullying can be a complicated issue, especially for adults who are not as familiar with using the Internet, instant messenger, or chat rooms as kids. But like more typical forms of bullying, it can be prevented when kids know how to protect themselves and parents are available to help.

(2008). Cyberbullying. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from National Crime Prevention Council Web site: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/by-audience/parents/bullying/cyberbullying/

Stop Cyberbullying Before It Starts (PDF) - http://www.ncpc.org/topics/by-audience/parents/bullying/cyberbullying/cyberbullying.pdf

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Social Networking Websites

You’ve probably heard the names – MySpace.com and Facebook.com. These are some of the top social networking websites that have become an online craze for teens and for many adults. You’ve probably also heard some stories about how pedophiles are surfing these pages for their next targets, or how teens are having their identities stolen after posting too much information online. The good news is that young people can protect themselves and their personal information easily, if they know how.

Social networking websites may seem high-tech, especially to the non-tech savvy user, but they’re easy to use and to understand. They differ from traditional websites in that they allow users to interact with them and with other users. Many of the popular social networking websites let users create personal profiles, add photos, write in a public journal or blog, send messages to others, and invite people to become their online friend – all with just a few clicks of the mouse.

None of this technology is inherently dangerous, and if it’s safely used it can be a great creative outlet for young people and a way to get them excited about technology. However, many young people are sharing too much information online and aren’t aware that anyone with an internet connection can view it - even pedophiles, employers, teachers, their school nemesis, and you. As a parent, you can teach your children how to safely use social networking websites and make sure that they do. Below are some ways that you can protect your children and their personal information online.

Talk to your kids about the risks.

Explain that online information and images can live forever. It can be very hard and sometimes impossible to take down information that is posted, and photos and information may already have been copied and posted elsewhere.

Tell your children not to post any identifying information online. This includes their cell phone number, address, hometown, school name, and anything else that a stranger could use to locate them.

Explain that anyone in the world can access what they post online. Tell your children that some college admissions boards and employers are checking social networking sites before they admit students or hire people.

Remind your children never to give out their passwords to anyone but you – not even their friends. Explain that if someone has their password, they could post embarrassing and unsafe information about them on their personal pages and even pose as your children to talk to other people.

Make sure that children understand that some people they meet online may not be who they say they are. Explain that on the Internet many people are not truthful about their identity and may even pretend to be someone else. It’s important to stress that young people should never meet people face-to-face that they met online.

Protect them from Dangers

Most social networking websites require that young people be at least 13-years old, and sometimes even 18, to create an account. Don’t let younger children pretend to be older to use these websites.

MySpace and some other social networking websites let users set their profiles to private so that only their friends – usually defined as people that know their full name or email address – can contact them. Make sure younger teens’ profiles are set to private.

Go online with your children and have them show you all of their personal profiles. Ask to see some of their friends’ profiles too. If they have a blog or share photos online, ask to see them too.

Treat your children’s online activities like you do their offline ones. Ask questions about what they do, who their friends are, and if they have made any new friends.

Set clear rules that you can all agree on regarding what your children are allowed to do online. Make sure you decide if your children are allowed to post photos of themselves and open accounts without your permission.

How you can help them

Have your children tell you if they ever see anything online that makes them uncomfortable. Make sure they understand that you won’t blame them.

Ask them to come to you if anything happens online that hurts or scares them. Tell them that you won’t punish them by banning them from the internet – this is a big reason why many kids don’t talk to their parents about their online problems.

Report any cases of possible child sexual exploitation, no matter how small, to your local law enforcement.

(2008). Social networking websites. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from National Crime Prevention Council Web site: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/by-audience/parents/social-networking-websites

What’s a parent to do?

Ask to see your kids’ social networking profile and page. Make sure it doesn’t include revealing personal information or pictures. You can also Google your child’s name and see what comes up. Remember, your child can easily create one “clean” profile for your eyes while maintaining a second, more personal MySpace page. That’s why the conversation about personal information and online safety is likely more important than your personal inspection of their accounts.

(2008, June 28). Technology: the mistakes kids make. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from www.symantec.com Web site: http://www.symantec.com/norton/familyresources/resources.jsp?title=ar_mistakes_kids_make

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Research or Plagiarism?

As anyone who has ever written a research report knows, it’s hard to put the findings of your research into your own words. It’s especially hard when Google™ or Wikipedia helps with the research and all you have to do is copy and paste your findings to make a report. And it’s more common than you think. For example, a high school biology teacher in Kansas failed 28 of 118 students for plagiarizing on a research assignment.

What’s a Parent to Do?

Teachers have access to Web sites that help them detect plagiarism. You don’t have to go that far. If you see something in your kids’ research reports that doesn’t sound like they wrote it, ask them about it. Also, a Google search on a suspect phrase, sentence, or paragraph will usually turn up the source of plagiarized text. Remind your children before they begin a paper or research project of the importance of turning in original work. Most schools have serious punishment such as suspension for anyone found to be plagiarizing their work.

(2008, June 28). Technology: the mistakes kids make. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from www.symantec.com Web site: http://www.symantec.com/norton/familyresources/resources.jsp?title=ar_mistakes_kids_make

Text Messaging

Let’s start with cell phones and text messaging (or as kids call it “texting”). Many kids in 5th grade and beyond have their own cell phones. They text a lot and they text everywhere. They text in class under their desks and behind books. They text in bed at night. Teens even text while driving.

Texting while driving–Recently, as a teen was texting his girlfriend while driving, his car crossed the centerline and collided head on with a cement truck. He survived but suffered permanent injuries. A recent study by the Allstate Foundation found that almost 10 percent of teens don’t think that texting while driving is distracting and another 10 percent think it’s only "slightly distracting." Hmmm. If your teen has a cell phone and a car, perhaps a conversation is in order.

Texting in class–As any teacher can tell you, kids texting in class is a real problem, too. Obviously, it distracts them from learning and it can lead to other problems including cyber bullying, and passing test answers. A math junior high teacher recently noticed that almost half her class had given the same wrong answer to a test question. The answer had been disseminated in a text message.

Texting in the dark –Sometimes, the desire to text is greater than the desire to sleep. Kids have been known to text in bed after the lights go out. Usually all they lose is sleep, but sometimes they lose more. In one case, a teenage girl texting at night was lured into a sexual relationship with a 34-year-old internet predator, who is now under arrest.

Texting inappropriate photos/videos – According to the Texas Penal Code 43.26 (e), a student who sends “visual material” that depicts “sexual conduct” of a child under the age of 18 has committed a felony of the 3^rd degree.

What’s a Parent to Do?

If your kids have cell phones, you should know where, when, how often, and with whom they “text?” If asking them doesn’t answer those questions, your cell phone bill will. You can see with whom they text and when. If you don’t like what you see, consider curtailing their phone use and/or blocking inappropriate numbers.

(2008, June 28). Technology: the mistakes kids make. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from www.symantec.com Web site: http://www.symantec.com/norton/familyresources/resources.jsp?title=ar_mistakes_kids_make

(2008). National Crime Prevention Council. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from School Safety Web site: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/by-audience/parents/school-safety

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Halloween Safety Tips

Trick-or-treaters should keep safety precautions in mind to make Halloween fun rather than unsafe.

Safety tips for children:

· Look both ways before crossing the street. Walk on sidewalks. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.

· Use a flashlight with fresh batteries.

· Wear light-colored costumes with reflective strips.

· Use face paint rather than a mask or hood that covers your eyes.

· Stay away from lighted candles, matches and open fires.

· Be careful around animals. Even pets may be scared by costumes and loud noises.

· Don’t eat any treats until they are checked by an adult.

Safety suggestions for adults:

· When driving, slow down. Watch for children running into the street.

· Accompany trick-or-treaters ages 12 and under.

· Be sure children carry only soft, flexible props.

· Set a time for older children to be home. Know the route they will take.

· Never let a child go trick-or-treating alone. Be sure at least two buddies go together.

· Remove breakable items or obstacles such as ladders, tools and toys from your yard.

· Keep jack-o’-lanterns and lighted candles away from costumes or paper decorations.

· Do not wear a Halloween mask while driving.

(2007, October 30). DSHS offers halloween safety tips. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from Department of State Health Services Web site: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/news/releases/20071030a.shtm