Keeping kids safe online is focus of Safe Schools Summit

WEST CHESTER >> Snapchat is the number one app for human trafficking; Kik Messenger is the “defacto app” for child predators; and, at just eight years old, a child can be profiled online. These are just a few of the alarming statistics that investigation expert Michele Stuart recently shared with the nearly 200 parents, teachers and school administrators at the Chester County Safe Schools Summit at Bayard Rustin High School in West Chester.

“As more children begin to use the internet at earlier ages, there has been a need for increased understanding about online safety and cyberbullying,” said Dr. Joseph J. O’Brien, executive director of the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU). “In support of this, we (the CCIU) have partnered with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and the Chester County Department of Emergency Services, and the West Chester Area School District to conduct the annual Chester County Safe School Summit.”

In addition to Stuart and O’Brien, attendees heard from Dr. Jim Scanlon, Superintendent of West Chester Area School District; Ronald Stanko, Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security; Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone and state Rep. Stephen Barrar. Each speaker stressed the importance of online safety and how this issue is being addressed in Pennsylvania on the statewide, local and school levels.

Stuart, owner and operator of JAG Investigations, Inc., was the keynote speaker for the Summit. An instructor at the FBI Academy at Quantico and former adjunct professor at the University of Virginia, Stuart’s significant professional experience and passion to keep children safe from online predators positions her as an expert on internet safety.

“My main goal is for kids to be safe,” said Stuart. “When something happens to a kid, it just kicks you in the stomach as a par-

ent and human. I want to make sure every child does not get contacted by a predator, and I want to make sure their lives are good so they grow up to be my age.”

During Stuart’s presentation, audience members learned the signs a child will show if they are being cyberbullied, how to prevent and stop cyberbullying, the most popular apps children are using to communicate, and how those apps can be dangerous.

Stuart also spoke about

how to monitor children’s use of communication online through apps, and how to be open so children feel comfortable talking to parents and caregivers about serious issues.

“A dad came up to me tonight and mentioned that his kids tell him a lot, but probably not everything,” said Stuart. “I suggested telling his kids that if they can’t talk to him, they should have another adult or teacher in their life that they can talk to.”

There were several questions from the audience about how to stay up to date on the most popular apps that both children

and predators are using, and how to monitor a child’s online communication. Stuart referred them to Internetmatters.org as a resource for setting up parental controls and privacy settings, and Appcrawlr.com for learning the popular apps that are being downloaded by kids and how to use them.

For more information about the Safe Schools Summit, contact communications specialist Anthony Saraceno at anthonys@cciu. org or 484-237-5371 or special events coordinator Jay Stone at JayS@cciu.org or 484-237-5053.