Schools to host talks on dangers of cells, Internet

Like This? Click Here to Recommend

By Preston Knight -- pknight@nvdaily.com

WOODSTOCK -- Shenandoah County Public Schools is on a publicity blitz to help parents tackle an issue that unfortunately must be all too publicized.

On Nov. 10 at Strasburg High School, and Nov. 12 at Central and Stonewall Jackson high schools, the division is hosting free parent information nights to discuss the Internet and cell phone crimes against youth. State police will conduct the meetings at Strasburg and Central, and the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office will run the one at Stonewall Jackson.

The discussions' title, "Protecting your children and teens in a world of technology," is expected to cover the wide range of ways youth communicate, from "sexting" to Facebook to blogs. Superintendent Keith Rowland said that the topic is "not any big secret to the world," given the number of incidents nationwide, for example, of children being sent or sending inappropriate material on their phones or computers, becoming victims and sometimes even criminals.

This, though, is why the meetings are strictly for parents. Not only will some of the materials be inappropriate, but the message is one meant for adults -- they are a household's bosses, Rowland said.

"Be a parent," he said. "Your kids don't need you to be a friend. They need you to be a parent. Kids have got plenty of friends. If a parent can't be a parent, then they have other issues and I can't help them with that.

"I'm not sure parents are in charge anymore. ... Kids are running on top of parents, and that's not good. I'd love to see parents step up to the plate."

The success of a child identification event sponsored by the schools last year sparked the idea for the parent safety night. Rowland's secretary, Tracy Landes, worked to organize the meetings, contacting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children before being referred to the state police.

Rowland will promote the parent meetings on local radio and, as it did for the child identification event last year, the Virginia Department of Transportation will put up electronic signs in the days leading up to the sessions, Landes said. There is no cost to the school division.

Rowland said the county is trying to be proactive by making parents proactive, getting them to recognize problems created by the Internet and cell phones. Some parents, he said, are unaware of all of the ways their children can interact with each other and how predators, in turn, can reach them.

"I don't think we're going to save the world, but if we can save one or two kids, I think it's worth it," Rowland said.

All of the meetings will begin at 6 p.m.