New Bill Requires Web Safety Curriculum
I’m elated.
The U.S. Senate and the House have passed federal legislation that will require some schools to educate their students about online safety, sexual predators, and cyber bullying.
The Broadband Data Improvement Act would apply to schools that receive e-Rate discounts on their telecommunications services and Internet access. Which, by the way, is just about every school on the planet.
The bill will also require the Federal Trade Commission to launch a national public awareness program focused on educating kids on how to use the Internet responsibly. It also establishes an “Online Safety and Technology Working Group” which will evaluate online safety education, parental control technology, filtering and blocking software.
I applaud the government for taking these crucial steps towards protecting our children. Yet, why wasn’t this done sooner? The 2006 Deleting Online Predators Act, which would have required schools to block access to social networking sites and chat rooms, was shot down in the House and Senate. K-12 groups opposed the bill, citing federal intrusion on school districts’ rights to control content.
The 2006 bill should have passed with flying colors. This just goes to show how far behind our country is when it comes to protecting children on the Internet. At least this new bill has the potential to set the stage for some power new legislation down the road. Perhaps there will be an amendment, requiring ALL schools - not just the e-Rate recipients - to teach Internet safety.
President Bush is expected to sign the Broadband Data Improvement Act soon. Perhaps this will be the last bit of important work he gets done before leaving office.
Parents, there is hope yet.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Schools and community groups looking for a proactive, unique curriculum to address these new requirements should take a look at http://www.faceourselves.com