With the excitement of a new school year underway, now is a great time to remember the importance of student safety and to review some safe practices with your child. Being safe online has more layers now than ever, and we’re here to share a few tips and reminders to help ensure your child enjoys a safe online learning experience.
Report and Recognize Cyberbullying
What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying can include any of the following actions:
- Mean comments
- Harassment
- Gossip
- Slander
- Threats
While cyberbullying is a threat that is seen on a variety of platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc.) that does not mean it is something that should be accepted or tolerated. Sometimes, students may experience cyberbullying and hesitate to report it out of fear. If mean comments, harassment, gossip, slander, or threats are being shared and spread online, it should be reported immediately to a parent, teacher, counselor, and/or staff and school administrators.
Children should feel safe and respected especially when it comes to online learning experiences. If your child voices that they are experiencing cyberbullying, do not hesitate to reach out to the school to ensure the problem is resolved in a timely manner. This does not only help your child, but can help many others as well.
Keep Personal Information Private
There are some things that need to remain private and confidential when online, including:
- Legal name
- Birthday
- Mailing address
- Email and phone number
- School name and grade
Sharing this personal information can result in varying levels of harm depending where they are shared. It is important to ensure that your children understand the importance of keeping their personal information such as home addresses, phone numbers, full names, or private codes confidential and not to display or share them with anyone.
In the world of online learning, there are times that personal information may be asked for by a trusted adult like a teacher or counselor, but children should never provide protected information. If an online school needs personal information, it will be requested through a protected platform.
If other children are asking your children for personal information, make sure your child knows the importance of asking you, the parent, first to ensure this information is going to a safe person.
Remaining Professional in a Virtual Classroom
When a child is in the virtual classroom, they should be familiar with basic virtual etiquette, including remaining engaged in the lesson and muting themselves when they do not have the teacher or counselor’s permission to speak. This will help your child remain professional and respectful, and will also help keep any private or personal conversations discussed in the child’s learning environment private.
Some ways to remain professional in the virtual classroom:
- Maintaining appropriate background visuals
- Proper attire during video conferencing
- Practicing respect toward staff
- Ensuring microphones are muted while not speaking and not interrupting the teacher or counselor
Scams, Phishing Emails, and Pop Ups
In a world filled with online scams, phishing emails, and pop ups, it’s important to teach your children the difference between legitimate emails and clear fraud. Educating your children on what to look for in these emails and how to report them is one of the best ways to ensure they are safe online and their personal information is kept private.
Here are some common items you can teach them to be aware of:
- Panicked language: Panic in an email can look like a claim that without taking action immediately, your account will be suspended or locked.
- Suspicious attachments: Risky attachments, QR codes, or links may also be in phishing emails. Examples include a receipt, confirmation code, invoice, or file.
- Generic greetings: Greetings that aren’t customized can be a sign the email is a scam. Look out for salutations like Dear user, Customer, or Sir/Ms.
- Suspicious email domain: Most phishing emails contain a sender’s email domain that looks suspiciously close to the real thing. Typically they will include misspellings, slight variations, or a domain that is not with the company at all.
Pop ups are also a common scam that appear in a variety of online locations. Children should be wary of websites and programs that redirect them to another site or video or have ads pop up in their web browser. When a child is in an online school program, the school will avoid the use of pop-ups and instead use protected programs that are designed to keep student information secure.
How Does Laurel Springs School Practice Online Safety?
At Laurel Springs School, each student’s safety is our number one priority. We believe safety starts at the beginning of the year, and we establish clear rules and expectations to set the standard early on. We want our students to understand the importance of being safe online, and educate them in the following ways:
- We offer Digital Literacy and Digital Citizenship courses for students in grades 1st – 5th.
- Our K-8 counselors teach students about their digital footprint and online safety.
- Zoom etiquette and norms are shared with our community.
- Club sponsors work with their new club members and leaders each year to establish norms, expectations, and safety tips for their club.
- Parents have an open line of communication with staff and faculty, particularly when the safety of their student or other students are in question.
- Not all AI tools are safe, and we only recommend platforms that protect student privacy and meet age requirements.
- We recommend parents regularly monitor the tools and social media websites their child uses, encouraging their students to remain safe online and refrain from sharing personal or sensitive information, including with AI tools.
Interested in learning more about Laurel Springs? Register for a Virtual Open House to meet our staff, ask questions, and learn about how we can support your family and students as they navigate the exciting world of online learning!
