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Cobb County Schools Team With FTC To Distribute
Net Cetera Internet Safety Guide For Parents

The Cobb County School District is the first school system in the nation to distribute the new Net Cetera: Chatting With Kids About Being Online internet safety guide to every family in the school district. Introduced in December 2009 by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Net Cetera is designed to help parents teach their children how to safely navigate the digital world of the Internet and mobile phones.  It includes sections regarding cyber bullying, text messaging, social networking, mobile phone safety and protecting the family computer. The booklet will be sent home the week of Jan. 10, 2010 along with a letter from Superintendent Fred Sanderson explaining the purpose and benefits of reading and sharing the guide with students.

The partnership with the FTC is part of the many online safety efforts of the CCSD Prevention/Intervention Center. P/I Center coordinator Jeff Inman said, “Equipping our families with the information they need to help keep students safe online is a major priority for us. Teaming with the FTC to provide the Net Cetera booklet to parents is an unprecedented step in helping them start the dialogue with their children.” Dr. Patti Agatston, prevention specialist and co-author of nationally-recognized book Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age, worked with the FTC to secure the booklets for distribution.

In 2008, the Cobb County School District implemented the Cobb Cyber Safe initiative to respond to Internet safety and cyber bullying issues. More than 100 staff members have been certified as internet safety instructors, including Technology Integration Specialists and School Counselors. These instructors facilitate parent seminars and student workshops about Internet safety in all grade levels. Dr. Agatston said, "The Internet and new online technologies are increasingly part of our every day lives, and children, young people, and their families are often the first to adopt them.  Parents, educators, and youth need to work together in order to maximize their digital opportunities while managing risks."

Parents can learn more about Internet safety and view or share Net Cetera from the federal government’s online safety Web site at www.OnGuardOnline.gov. More information about the District’s Prevention/Intervention Center and its Internet safety programs in Cobb is available on the District Web site at http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/preventionintervention.

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