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• Initiate conversations with your kids about their school day. Allow them to talk about the good and not-so-good experiences that they have.
• Promote self-esteem and confidence by reminding your child of his or her unique talents and qualities.
• Do a lot of listening as one way of creating a trusting atmosphere between your child and you.
• Keep the lines of communication open.
• Questions for Discussion For Parents and Teachers: Use some or all of these questions as a way to jumpstart conversations about bullying.

Bullying and Cyberbullying
What's your definition of bullying? What are some examples of bullying behavior, both physical and non-physical?

How can some kids use text messaging, social networks, and other non-physical means to bully someone? Have you ever heard the term "cyberbullying"? What does it mean? How do you think that cyberbullying might affect a person who is its target?

What are some examples of aggressive behavior? Why do you think that some people choose to behave aggressively as their way of dealing with others? Do you think that this behavior can be changed? Explain.

Peer Pressure and Bystanders
Have you ever felt pressure to bully someone or to join in bullying with others? What thoughts did you consider before you made the decision to be part of the bullying or not to be part of it? How did you ultimately respond?

How do you think someone feels when he or she is being bullied? Have you ever seen someone being bullied? What, if anything, did you do?
Would you do anything differently if you are in that situation in the future?

What do you think the role of a bystander should be in a bullying situation? As a bystander, what response are you most comfortable with?
Would you help someone who is the target of bullying behavior? If so, how? If not, what would prevent you from helping? What do you think might happen if no one helps the target of a bully?

Responding to Bullying
Have you ever been the target of bullying behavior? If so, how did it make you feel? How did you respond? Do you think there were other ways that you could have responded? Why did you choose the response that you did?

What is your personal plan of action if you are bullied or see someone being bullied? Is there a staff member at school who will help you if you want to report bullying behavior that you witness or experience? Who else might you talk to about it?

Friendship and Respect
What are your thoughts on friendship? What is more important to you:
having a lot of friends or having a few good friends? How do you decide who your friends are? How do you decide to treat others who are not friends of yours?

How would you explain "respect"? Is it possible to respect a person but not like that person? Do you think that respect for others is important?
Why or why not?

What could you do to set an example of respect? How might your respect for others benefit you? How might an atmosphere of mutual respect impact a class, a school and a community?

The Internet is a great place to hang out. It’s fun, and lets you keep in touch with friends and family. Cyberspace is like a big city, with libraries, universities, museums, places to have fun, and meet people from all walks of life. Like any community, there are some people and places you ought to avoid and others you should approach with caution.

Teens are more likely to explore out-of-the-way nooks and crannies of cyberspace; and, sadly, they’re more often preyed upon as victims by child molesters and other exploiters. By knowing the dangers and how to avoid them, you can take advantage of all the positive aspects of the Internet while avoiding most of its pitfalls.

Parents, Note some 2008 Internet Safety Statistics

• 18% of youth MySpace pages contain evidence of consumption of alcohol by minors
• 64% of teens post photos or videos of themselves online, while more than half (58%) post info about where they live.
• 32% of all teens and 43% of teens active in social networking have been contacted online by a complete stranger.
• 69% of teens regularly receive personal messages online from people they don’t know and most of them don’t tell a trusted adult about it
• 23% of children have had an encounter with a stranger on the Internet, including 7% of children who reported having met someone in the real world from the Internet
• 79% of sexual solicitation incidents happened to youth while they were using their home computer
• 40% of solicitations began with a solicitor communicating with a youth through an instant message or IM
• 56% of solicitations contained a request for the youth to send photographs of themselves to the solicitor and 27% of solicitations contained a request for the youth to send a sexual picture of themselves

Palos Park Police Department Reminds You Be Smart Online Stay Safe in Cyberspace

It is fun, exciting and convenient to talk with others through the Internet or your cell phone. But the fun can be wrecked if you don’t follow safety rules. Experts say that about three-fourths of all kids from 8 to 12 years old have the Internet at home. Safety rules may be even more important there because school computers often have safety tools built in.

Tips for staying safe

NEVER give out any personal information, such as your address, phone number, or even the name and location of your school.

Tell your parents or another trusted adult if anything online or over your phone makes you uncomfortable.

If your parents need help, teach them how to do things online and with other technology.

NEVER agree to meet someone you have met online unless your parents will come along. Meet in a public place. Remember, people online or on your phone may not be who they say they are.

Never send anyone your picture unless your parents say it is OK.

Do not put pictures of yourself on any Web sites.

Don’t put anything online that you wouldn’t want your grandmother or a future boss to see.

Do not give out your Internet password to anyone, even your best friends. The only people who should know it are you and your parents. If friends pressure you to give them your password, say your parents have told you not to do that.

Do not install any software or download any programs unless your parents give permission.

Never do anything to hurt anyone else or to break the law.

More Cyberspace Safety Tips

• Never open attachments in an e-mail if you are not sure who sent it.
• If your parents have set up guidelines for what you do online or on your phone, follow those rules. Talk to your parents about the rules to be sure you are clear about them.

What is cyberbullying?

Have you ever been bullied? Unfortunately, almost everyone has had to deal with a bully at some time.

Bullying is when someone uses any actions or words to try to scare, embarrass or hurt someone.

Cyberbullying is when someone tries to hurt another person through computer technology such as:

• E-mails,
• texting,
• instant messaging,
• chat rooms,
• gaming,
• social network sites such as MySpace or Facebook.

Cyberbullying can sometimes be even worse than physical bullying. When cruel words or pictures get on the Internet, they can reach thousands of people. They can be out there for people to find for years. The victim could be hurt each time someone forwards that message or builds on that message and sends it on.

What to do

NEVER write a mean message yourself. Do not say anything mean in a chat room or when instant messaging. Once you say something, it’s out there for good.

If you see a bullying message, report it. Tell your Internet service provider, social networking site, phone company or other provider.

Report any bullying to an adult you trust: your parents, your teacher, an aunt or uncle, a counselor or a police officer. If that person doesn’t take care of the problem, keep reporting it to other trusted adults until you find someone who can help

Protect Against Cyberbullying

If someone has bullied you before, do NOT open any new messages from that person.

• You can delete any bullying messages. But it might be a good idea to show your parents first. They might want to show the police.

• If you see a bullying message about you or anyone else, don’t forward it on.

• Never answer a bullying message. • Do not retaliate, or try to get back at, the bully.

• Don’t write to anyone when you are angry. You may say something you will regret later.

• Block any messages from someone who makes you feel uncomfortable for any reason.

Parents think about some Facebook rules for your children

1. They have to have you as a ”friend” on Facebook”
2 . Adhere to time limits,
3. Use privacy settings, no outside viewers
4. Always behave responsibly -- as in no trash talking, cyberbullying, sexting, or chatting with strangers.

The bottom line is that there's a reason that most adult social networking sites set 13 as their entry age.

Parents did you know

OnGuardOnline.gov
Provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

The federal government and the technology industry have teamed up to prepare straightforward, plain-language materials that you can use to help computer users be on guard against internet fraud, secure their computers, and protect their personal information. There are lots of ways you can use these resources, whether through your work place, community, friends, or even the media.

Here are just a few:

Cyberbully411
Created by Internet Solutions for Kids, is an effort to provide resources for youth who have questions about or have been targeted by online harassment.

NetSmartz.org
The NetSmartz Workshop is an educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that uses age-appropriate, interactive activities to teach children of all ages how to stay safer on the internet.

Police remind students, parents and school officials to be aware and report anything suspicious or troubling to law enforcement immediately.

Safety measures that could be taken include:

• Walking or transporting your children to school; if that is not possible, arrange for children to travel in groups.
• If your child is walking or biking alone, discuss the importance of awareness, not talking to strangers and heading directly to school or home.
• Have your child check in with you when possible.
• Avoid clothing that includes your child's name in a prominent place; if a stranger uses your child's name, your child might be more inclined to trust that person.
• Be sure to let the school know if your child is going to be absent and when you expect your child to return to class.

As in previous back-to-school seasons, Palos Park Police will have extra patrols in the area of the schools and will continue to work closely with principals and school district officials to help keep our community's children safe. Motorists should also be aware that officers will be enforcing school zone traffic laws in an effort to prevent accidents and injuries.

This is yet another example of authorities in Illinois taking a tougher stance on parents who permit this sort of conduct in their homes. The bill stems from numerous incidents of under aged persons becoming involved in motor vehicle accidents after leaving a friends house at which they consumed alcohol.

• Never Accept Candy Or Gifts From A Stranger.
• Never Go Anywhere With A Stranger, Even If It Sounds Like Fun.
• Predators Can Lure Children With Questions Like “Can You Help Me Find My Lost Puppy” Or “Do You Want To See Some Cute Kittens In My Car”.
• Run Away And Scream If Someone Follows Them Or Tries To Force Them In To The Car.
• Say ”No” To Anyone Who Tries To Make Them Do Something You’ve Said Is Wrong Or Touch Them In Any Way That Makes Them Feel Uncomfortable.
• Always Tell You Or Another Trusted Adult If A Stranger Asks Personal Questions, Exposes Himself Or Makes Them Feel Uneasy.
• Reassure Children That It Is Ok To Tell You Even If The Person Made Them Promise Not To, Or Threatened Them In Any Way.

Keep These Other Tips In Mind Too:

• Have A Current Photo Of The Child Readily Available.
• Keep Your Childeren’s Medical And Dental Record Up To Date.
• Set Boundaries About The Places Your Children Go. Supervise Them In Places Like Malls, Movie Theaters, Parks, Public Bathrooms Or While Fundraising Door To Door.