Student Safety in the Digital Age-Securly-JoeFitzmorris-MonVall

Participants will gain an understanding of the current trends for self-harm/suicide, cyber-bullying, and other issues that are impacting US schools. With growing 1:1 initiatives in K-12, and the increase in digital learning environments, schools are faced with new risks which need to be managed. This increased access to technology, combined with the prevalence of social media, has dramatically increased student exposure to cyber-bullying and harassment. Participants will leave the presentation with information they can transfer to other stakeholders in their district that can spark productive conversations about assessing the current impact increased access to technology is having on students in their district, and what steps are needed to address any problems that are identified. Instances of cyberbullying, violence, and suicide are on the rise, forcing schools to adapt. A school’s ability to detect alarming activity in social media posts, searches, and emails and proactively address the situation is an essential step in saving lives and teaching good digital citizenship. We will showcase and discuss tools which makes this possible.