Croton-Harmon Students Teach Peers to be Smart, Safe Online

from the Croton-Harmon schools:

At Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School in Croton-on-Hudson, students are taking the responsibility of technology very seriously.

Sixth-grade Media and Communications students have already learned about topics like phishing and online grooming in Johanna Mustacchi’s classroom, and recently heard presentations prepared by eighth-grade students on subjects including cyberbullying and sexting.

Through these presentations, students learned that there are many types of cyberbullying, including ridicule, harassment, proxy, etc., and took time to identify the adults in their lives whom they would alert immediately if they were a witness to or a target of cyberbullying, such as a parent, teacher or guidance counselor at the school.

“[I] and a lot of my friends have phones and social media accounts that allow us to talk to each other,” eighth-grader Elan Roth said. “And not always the nicest things are said over those accounts.”

Roth and his peers encouraged their younger counterparts to report any inappropriate use of social media to trusted adults right away and to never send sexts or pass along sexts to their peers.

“What should you do when you get a sext?” Roth asked the sixth-grade students.

“Delete it!” they replied in unison.

Photo: Eighth-grade students at Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School in Croton- on educated their younger peers about topics surrounding online safety. Photos Courtesy of the Croton-Harmon Schools