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Operation Safe Surf debuted in October. Through a partnership between the Attorney General and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, lawyers will be visiting schools throughout Pennsylvania to teach internet safety practices using videos and other materials supplied by the Attorney General's office. The presentations are tailored to three audiences: elementary school, middle and high school, and parent and community groups. More than 300 lawyers around Pennsylvania have registered to serve as volunteers, including MacElree Harvey lawyers.
The presenters will encourage children to enjoy the internet while protecting themselves from sexual predators. High school and middle school students will watch a video created by the Attorney General's office that includes segments showing an actual victim's story, a portrait of a predator and online safety tips.
Elementary students will watch a video, read a book and receive coloring pages about the fictional cat Faux Paw, who makes common mis-steps on the internet that can lead to trouble. Elementary children will learn three basic safety rules: Keep safe (don't share name, address, phone number, school name or other identifying information online); keep away (don't talk to internet strangers online and never meet them face to face), and keep telling (parents or trusted adults if something on the internet makes the child uncomfortable). The elementary school materials were created by the Internet Keep Safe Coalition for use nationwide.
According to a 2006 study by the Polly Klaas Foundation
cited by the Attorney General's office and the Internet Keep Safe Coalition:
42% of online teens (ages 13 to 18) said they have posted information
about themselves on the internet so others can see it and contact them.
30% of teens reported that they have talked with an internet stranger
about meeting in person (4% of tweens - ages 8 to 12 - have engaged in
this type of online chat).
27% of teens said they have talked online about sex with
someone they've never met.
The Attorney General's Office is contacting schools throughout
Pennsylvania to invite them to participate in Operation Safe Surf. Schools
and parent or community groups can request an Operation Safe Surf presentation
through the Attorney General's Office, which will designate lawyer volunteers
to visit the school and deliver the presentation.
Information about Operation Safe Surf can be obtained
by contacting the Attorney General's Education and Outreach Office at
1-800-525-7642 or via email at education@attorneygeneral.gov.
In addition to school and community presentations, the Attorney General's
Office offers new resource areas on its web site, www.attorneygeneral.gov:
"Just 4 Kids," "Parent Information" and the "School
& Educator Resource Center." The kids' site is divided into
grade levels and features interactive learning games and activities
for each age group on a variety of subjects.
Parents can obtain information on internet safety from the Internet Keep Safe Coalition at www.ikeepsafe.org.
MacElree Harvey
17 West Miner Street
Post Office Box 660
West Chester, PA 19381–0660
p | 610.436.0100
f | 610.430.7885
f | 610.429.4486
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Speak with a licensed attorney about your own specific situation.
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