Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. TANUARY 14, 2009 - PAGE 5A
Seminar Aims To Keep Kids Cyber-Safe
*Today; more than ever before, children and teenagers are faced
with incredible pressures arising from social networks, Internet
gaming sites and peer-to-peer transactions such as instant
messaging and text messaging.'
Cpl. Max Briggs — School Resource Officer
The Commerce Police
Department will hold a free
seminar Thursday, Jan. 29,
to update parents on ways
to keep their kids’ computer
activities safe.
Max Briggs, the school
resource officer (SRO), will
present the program at 6:00
p.m. in the Commerce High
School media center. He
promises it will provide par
ents and adults “more than
just information about the
Internet.’’
Those wishing to attend
are asked to call the school
office at 706-335-1801 to reg
ister. Space is limited, and
no children will be allowed
in the seminar.
“Today, more than ever
before, children and teenag
ers are faced with incred
ible pressures arising from
social networks, Internet
gaming sites and peer-to-
peer transactions such as
instant messaging and text
messaging,’’ Briggs points
out. “Many parents feel
intimidated, left out or at
the very least, far behind in
their skills to not only navi
gate the cyber world, but in
their abilities to maintain
connection with their cyber
savvy kids.’’
Cpl. Briggs gives presen
tations to Commerce stu
dents as a regular part of his
job as SRO. Thus far, when
presenting on cyber safety,
he has not been surprised
to discover what kids know
about computers and the
Internet. But he says he is
surprised — and troubled
— to learn what they don’t
know about protecting their
identities, guarding against
predators and just how easi
ly it is to cross the line, legal
ly speaking, using technol
ogy. Moreover, when talk
ing to students about their
activities on the Internet, he
finds “no parents allowed’’
as the universal theme.
Many parents agree, fear
ing to “trespass’’ in their chil
dren’s private worlds.
“What I try to accomplish
in the seminar for parents
is to help them understand
they must engage in the
cyber world on behalf of
their children,’’ Briggs says.
“It isn’t as simple as just
shutting off the computer
of buying new Internet filter
software. The Internet and
all it has to offer, good and
bad, is here to stay and is
drawing our children into
worlds most parents can’t
imagine and our children
will find a way to access
it. The question is, will par
ents get equipped to protect
their children?’’
Briggs, when talking
to students, stresses that
allowing parents to have at
least emergency access to
their social sites and other
Internet activities can save
their lives. Across the coun
try there has been a marked
increase in instances of
cyber-bullying and, tragical
ly, some of those instances
have led students to commit
suicide. In addition, says
Briggs, predators are chang
ing their strategies to avoid
detection by law enforce
ment and to secure private
and dangerous cyber rela
tionships with children.
Those topics will be dis
cussed at the seminar.
School Supt. Refutes Newspaper Report
By Ben Munro
Commerce Schools
Superintendent Dr. James
“Mac’’ McCoy has disputed
a Dec. 11 Athens Banner-
Herald article that said the
school system’s security
plan lacks proper approval.
“I was floored that we
were mentioned in the first
sentence ... It can’t be fur
ther from the truth,’’ McCoy
said told the Commerce
Board of Education (BOE)
Thursday at the board’s
monthly work session.
Thursday was the first
night the BOE has meet
since the story’s publica
tion, and McCoy
defended the secu
rity plan.
The Banner-
Herald article said
Commerce was
one of 32 state
school districts
violating state law
because its plan
lacked approval
by the Georgia
Emergency Management
Agency (GEMA). The story
was based on an Associated
Press review of state data.
Not true, McCoy said.
The law only requires
approval from a local man
agement agency, he
said, and Jackson
County has signed
off on Commerce’s
safety plan.
The school sys
tem’s legal team,
Harbin and Hartley,
confirmed that the
security plan com
plies with the law,
McCoy said.
GEMA’s approval is
required only if a school
system is seeking state
assistance for that security
plan, McCoy said.
“We didn’t ask for money
from the state,’’ he said.
However, Commerce had
been working with GEMA
on its security plan and
gained the agency’s approv
al over the Christmas
break.
Still, McCoy was irri
tated by the assertion that
Commerce Schools were
ever delinquent.
“It gripes me to no end ...
We were not in violation of
the law,’’ McCoy said.
A local television station
also telephoned McCoy
regarding the issue, which
further drew his ire.
“I said, 'Stop, have you
read the law?”' he said, relay
ing the conversation to the
board.
McCoy said he just want
ed to set the record straight
for board members.
“I feel better that y’all
know the rest of the story,’’
McCoy told the board.
READ THEN RECYCLE
— Look To Dr. King
Mac McCoy
Cont. from Page 4A
American Dream.
The Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. holiday is cel
ebrated in many ways
ranging from banquets to
religious services, parades
and festivals. While I cer
tainly have seen the value
in honoring Dr. King's
life, I have walked away
from each holiday won
dering if we were truly
living out the dream that
he had for this country.
Not knowing Dr. King
or having been alive
during the Civil Rights
movement, I am extreme
ly limited in my ability
to interpret his thoughts
for our world 41 years
after his death. I would
like to think that Dr. King
would rather see each of
our New Year's resolu
tions focus on poverty,
not partisanship; ser
vice, not self; character,
not color; morality, not
money; and education,
not competition.
So if you insist on
measuring yourself this
New Year, place the tape
around your heart instead
of your head or waist and
discover why some of
the richest people in the
world are not million
aires but volunteers. Get
involved. Help us realize
the caring community
we can be!
Hasco Craver is executive
director of the Commerce
Downtown Development
Authority. He lives in
Commerce.
NEED
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7064367-5233
Apple Specialist
iPhoto. iMovie. GarageBand. iWeb.
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peachmac
macs • ipods • software • service • peachteach
1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy (across from Lowe's) • Athens • 706-208-9990
visit peachmac.com • also in Augusta!
Founder’s
Corner
by
Buhl Cummings
THREE M’s...We are dedicated
at ACS to train students in MIND,
MANNERS, and MORALS. The
students are trained in mind by
our excellent teachers. They are
trained in manners by the
“family” atmosphere in learning
to get along with others and
show courtesy and respect. The
students get the best moral
training in Bible classes and
chapel.
Parents are instructed in the
Bible to “train up a child in the
way he should go” - the right
way, the Bible way. We tell
parents that we are here to help
them with that admonition.
You are invited to come for a
visit or check us on the web.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
m
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