Middle School Program Focuses on Internet Safety

At the request of Newtown Middle School rotation teachers, Tina Welsh, who teaches computer integration, Ann Marie Lohan, who teaches health, Don Ramsey, who's responsible for technology education and Chester Washburn for Project Adventure, Officer Lenny Penna presented an Internet Safety Program on Tuesday at Newtown Middle School. 

The program has two main components, cyber bullying and how to protect yourself from online predators.

He explained that when a student sends mean messages to or about another student it is considered cyber bullying, which also is a crime called harassment. 

Penna said that when he started at the middle school three years ago he had to arrest six kids for cyber bullying. He also explained that even if a student is at home harassing another student on the Internet the school can and will hold them responsible.  He was happy to report that last year there were no such arrests.

Through the use of a Saturday Night Live skit, Officer Penna shifted the focus to keeping safe and avoiding online predators. Predators will use false names and photos to trick kids into believing they are chatting with another teen. They are very skilled at knowing what to say to get a kid to open up and feel like they understand them, he explained.

He urged all students to go home and re-evaluate their friends list on Facebook. 

"Go through and if they are not actually a friend, if they are just a friend of a friend, delete them," he said. "If you are not sure who they are, but they sent you a friend request, delete them." 

Never post naked pictures of yourself online he said. Once those photos are posted, even if you think they are deleted, they can still be retrieved by your Internet Service provider.

Students have been denied entrance to some colleges, gotten thrown off sports teams and closed themselves out of job offers because of what they posted on Facebook. He wants students to realize that their actions have consequences.

Officer Penna will be making a presentation to the parents tonight at the middle school at 7 p.m. Parents wishing to attend should email Miss Lohan from the school's website. For more information about online safety go to www.netsmartz.org.

Editor's note: Officer Lenny Penna's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this column.