Internet Safety
Model Policy Concerning Internet Safety
To emphasize the essential role of technologies in the learning experiences of students, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is committed to helping school boards develop and implement internet safety policies and programs. Safeguarding students remains the utmost priority in K-12 education. Due to the ever-changing nature of internet technologies, it is important for all members of the educational community to actively address this imperative. In the learning environment, leaders allow for safe access to the internet, teachers design safe lessons, and students safely use technology. The Model Policy concerning Internet Safety represents the knowledge and perspectives of teachers, researchers, law enforcement, nonprofit organizations, as well as local, state, and federal representatives. This document has been developed for local school boards in the Commonwealth to enable such school boards to better ensure the internet safety of all students and teachers in the local school division. While this document offers recommendations, specific integration details are left to the discretion of local education agencies.
Digital Wellness
Safeguarding children remains the utmost priority. With the growing concerns regarding the frequent use of screens on the health and well-being of children, it is important for educators and caretakers to actively address the use of digital devices in school and at home. Recommendations for Digital Wellness (PDF) is provided to support a balance between the physical and digital worlds ensuring that devices are being used in appropriate, meaningful, and empowering ways.
The Digital Devices in the Classroom: Health and Safety Guidelines infographic (PDF) includes areas to help support teaching and learning when using digital devices.
The Office of Parent Engagement at VDOE has also created A Guide to Safe and Healthy Personal Device Use for Families.
Recommended Instructional Resources for Internet Safety
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The Exchange serves as a resource hub that provides materials including facilitator's guide, fact sheets, handouts, scenarios, and other resources for educators to help middle school and high school youth consider digital technology use, online safety, and mental and emotional health. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Social Media and Communication |
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Created by the Youth and Media team at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, these tools help you navigate the digital world and make informed choices. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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Blue Campaign: One Voice. One Mission. End Human Trafficking |
Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign designed to educate the public, law enforcement, and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking, and how to appropriately respond to possible cases. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures |
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Checkology is a free e-learning platform with engaging, authoritative lessons on subjects like news media bias, misinformation, conspiratorial thinking and more. Learners develop the ability to identify credible information, seek out reliable sources, and apply critical thinking skills to separate fact-based content from falsehoods. Topics: Copyright and Sharing; Social Media and Communication |
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This resource provides information to avoid getting your device or account hacked or even steal your identity or money. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information |
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Commone Sense Media: Everything You Need to Teach Digital Citizenship |
Common Sense Education has a series of lessons on digital citizenship. Interactive lessons and activities that help educators use digital citizenship plans to address timely topics and prepare students to take ownership of their digital lives. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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These materials aim to provide accessible and practical information about copyright – its protections, its limitations, and its role in encouraging creativity. Rather than just emphasizing what copyright prohibits, the goal here is to offer useful and positive information about what copyright allows and how students can successfully navigate and rely on copyright in their own roles as creators. Topics: Copyright and Sharing |
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The Learning Engine series of videos introduces copyright concepts and the Copyright Office to those who may be new to the topic or who want to learn more. Topics: Copyright and Sharing |
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This website serves as a clearinghouse of information concerning the ways adolescents use and misuse technology. Here you will find facts, figures, and detailed stories from those who have been directly impacted by online aggression. In addition, the site includes numerous resources to help you prevent and respond to cyberbullying incidents. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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CyberTipline provides an secure and easy way to make a report of child exploitation. The form can be completed in just a few minutes, and you decide if you want to share your contact information. In fact, many of the fields are optional so what information you provide, is up to you. Topics: Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures |
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Comprised of parents and professionals, the mission of Educate and Empower Kids (EEK) is to provide essential resources for parents, educators, and clinicians to teach children and teenagers how to become resilient and strong in a technology driven world. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Social Media and Communication |
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The Digital Citizenship Curricular Framework provides guidance for implementing various sets of curricular standards through a lens of digital citizenship education. The framework provides a logical sequence for content acquisition and skill development that can help students develop into safe, well-rounded, literate and participatory digital citizens. Topics: Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information |
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The goal of FBI-SOS is to promote cyber citizenship and help students learn about online safety while engaging in fun, interactive games. The program was designed to address current Internet safety threats while keeping each grade level's online usage and knowledge in mind. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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Kids can play their way to being Internet Awesome with Interland, an online adventure that puts the key lessons of digital safety into hands-on practice with four challenging games. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Social Media and Communication |
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The Applied Digital Skills program from Google is a flexible, video-based curriculum designed to teach practical digital skills needed for today's jobs. The curriculum aims to equip learners with the computer and soft skills necessary for success in school, the workplace, and life. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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The Federal Trade Commission provides students with information about digital citizenship, cyberbullying, and avoiding online risks so that they can safely socialize online. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Social Media and Communication |
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Meet Faux Paw, an adventurous six-toed cat who loves technology. These fun books teach rules to promote the safe and healthy use of digital devices. Read or watch Faux Paw’s adventures to foster discussions between adults and young students (K-3rd grade) Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information |
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Internet Safety 101 has resources for parents and internet safety education including safety content, preventative measures, and collateral materials. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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Offers a free, 14-module curriculum that educates youth ages 10-20 on alternatives to running away, unsafe behaviors, and how to build life skills that can resolve problems. It includes the module "Internet Safety and Fun," which provides youth with tools for safe online behavior. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures |
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The Safety Online page offers tips for maintaining personal safety while using technology in dating. It highlights the risks of technology misuse and provides advice on how to protect personal information and privacy. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Social Media and Communication |
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Media Smarts provides teaching practices to help educators develop digital literacy lessons and activities that suit their students' needs. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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National Association for Media Literacy Education: Media Monsters |
Media Monsters Media Literacy Lesson Plan for Grades 3-5! Educators can use this plan to inspire relevant, rich, and age-appropriate discussion in their classrooms about how we all consume and interact with different types of media. Students will begin to identify, reflect, and recognize behaviors and media practices in themselves, and identify the media literacy skills needed to improve the ways they engage with media and think critically about the media messages around them. Topics: Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information |
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NetSmartz is NCMEC's online safety education program. It provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach children be safer online with the goal of helping children to become more aware of potential online risks and empowering them to help prevent victimization by making safer choices online and offline. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Social Media and Communication |
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Ruff Ruffman videos look at the red-hot topic of how kids can and should use media and technology. The videos focus on texting, sharing photographs, using search, and finding an appropriate balance of technology use. Topics: Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures |
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Helps middle school and high school youth identify the media's messages related to dating and relationships so that they can develop their own ideas and values and choose healthy relationship behaviors. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information |
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Cyber S.W.A.T. is a peer-to-peer program designed to educate youth about online safety. Program facilitators use the provided curriculum and activities to help facilitate tough conversations about bullying, online predators, and other online risks. The peer mentors then reach out to other school-aged students to share what they’ve learned and present projects they have created to tell real stories about online safety and online risks. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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Shared Hope International is dedicated to bringing an end to sex trafficking through our three-pronged approach – prevent, restore, and bring justice. |
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Social Media TestDrive is an educational program for teaching digital citizenship skills and online prosocial behaviors! TestDrive prepares young people for real-life experiences in the digital world through learning and practicing within a realistic social media simulation. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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StopBullying.gov provides comprehensive information on identifying, preventing, and responding to bullying and cyberbullying. It emphasizes the importance of adults' quick and consistent response to bullying behavior and offers resources for parents, school staff, and the community to create a safe environment. The site also explains federal laws related to bullying and discriminatory harassment, and provides guidance on what schools and kids can do to address bullying. Additionally, it offers ways to get help if the situation is unresolvable or if someone is in immediate danger. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Social Media and Communication |
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Take It Down is a free service that can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old. You can remain anonymous while using the service and you won’t have to send your images or videos to anyone. Take It Down will work on public or unencrypted online platforms that have agreed to participate. Topics: Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures |
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Use Teachers First resources to stay informed about technology's pros and cons and build awareness to harness the Internet's power for safe learning and communication. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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The Achievery, a FREE online platform by AT&T and Warner Bros., connects K-12 students to digital learning with over 500 educational videos and activities designed by experts, accessible at home, in classrooms, and communities, offering resources for educators, parents, and motivated students. |
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Each episode of Trend Micro consists of: A short three-minute animated video, a conversation guide to support teachers/parents, a Kahoot! Quiz to reinforce the learning, a popular and fun activity sheet, and a great homework activity to engage all the family at home. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Copyright and Sharing; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Proper Recognition, Avoidance, and Reporting Procedures; Social Media and Communication |
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We Think Twice is designed with teens, for teens, with tools and resources to help you make healthy decisions, set goals, manage money, improve leadership skills, look out for your mental health, and resist peer pressure. Topics: Privacy and Sharing Personal Information; Social Media and Communication |
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You Matter is a safety card tool to support teens who have histories of adverse childhood experiences. It was developed in collaboration with young people, adolescent health providers and school based health center staff. Designed for young people who receive health services or classroom presentations, this card can help adolescents recognize how relationships and histories of trauma may impact their health and wellbeing. Topics: Communication with a trusted adult; Privacy and Sharing Personal Information |
Federal Laws:
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
- Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Rehabilitation Act: Section 504
- Children Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
Code of Virginia:
- Acceptable Use Policy
- Students’ personally identifiable information
- Broadband services for educational purposes
- Instructional technology resource teachers and technical support
- Integration of educational technology into instructional programs
- Professional development in the use of educational technology