[MurrayMatters] Internet Safety Program

[thashi@adelphia.net]

"Internet Uses and Abuses:  How the Internet Can Hurt Teens and How It Can Help Them."

This program is provided as a public service to parents and students throughout the community by the WAHS PTO.

When:  Thursday, February 23, 2006, 7-8:30 PM
WAHS PTO Program Night 2006

Where: Western Albemarle High School Cafeteria

Featured Speaker:

Assistant Attorney General in Virginia's Computer Crime Unit, Gene Fiskel.
Investigator Fiskel will discuss the state's "Safe Surfin" program, a joint venture between the attorney general's office, the Virginia State Police, and Operation Blue Ridge Thunder.
This program is designed to make parents and students aware of the dangers of surfing the Internet, with special emphasis on chat rooms and myspace.com.
Myspace.com has gained national media attention in the aftermath of the murder of a VCU freshman coed last fall who had entered her profile and pictures on the website.
Her alleged murderer apparently discovered her on this website.
According to a recent NBC Nightly News story, myspace.com has 40 million users across the country, the majority of whom are probably teenagers.   The state of Connecticut recently arrested several sexual predators who were introduced to their victims, seven teenage girls, via the Internet. 

WAHS information specialists Clover Taylor and Lin Hill will provide a prelude to the Computer Crime Unit presentation.  They will include information for parents on how students can efficiently and safely navigate the Web when researching school projects and papers.  Parents also will learn what Albemarle County schools have done to prevent student access to some Internet areas while working on computers at school. 

There will be the opportunity for Q & A following the presentations. 
Refreshments will be available. 

For more information contact:
Patricia Gaesser
Special Programs Coordinator
WAHS PTO
Contact:  PatriciaG1209 at aol.com
Or, Dr. Anne Coughlin at Western Albemarle High School, 823-8700 or email: Coughlin at k12albemarle.org