💻📱Digital Citizenship & Safety📱💻

As students begin to use technology and the internet in school, at home, and in every facet of their lives, helping them become good digital citizens is essential. It will not only keep them safe online but it also will help them understand the norms of appropriate responsible technology use.

Here you will be able to find a guide to some of the many online resources available to parents who are thinking about how to understand and manage their child’s technological exposure.

Student Responsibilities

Follow the rules

Follow all school and class rules for using technology
Act responsibly to all—both online and face-to-face
Collaborate in positive ways that help you learn
Use technology to support an inclusive school community

Stay Safe

Only use accounts that belong to you.
Protect passwords—don’t share them with others
Don’t automatically save passwords on school devices
Don’t give out personal information online without your parent’s permission
Have permission from a parent before meeting anyone in person that you have met only online

Take care of things

Respect and care for both:
- Student work (yours and your peers)
- Devices

Parent Responsibilities

Make sure your child acts responsibly. This includes knowing and understanding the Discipline Code, Internet Acceptable Use and Safety Policy (IAUSP), and Social Media Guidelines for Students 12 and Younger or 13 and Older.
Keep track of your children's online use when they are not in school—including mobile apps, online games, and other social media
Share values with your children and talk with them about what is—and is not—acceptable online behavior.

Teacher Responsibilities

To Students:

Teach students how to act when working online with others
Go over the online guidelines with students. Make sure they know:

How to use the internet safely and responsibly
Appropriate ways to react to cyberbullying
If students misbehave, they may lose their online rights.
- You must then offer other ways that they can complete their work.
Protect student information as stated in the:
- Chancellor’s Regulation A-820
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act(Open external link) (FERPA).
As part of the Children’s Internet Protection Act(Open external link) (CIPA) we have filters that block websites if they are:
- inappropriate for minors
- lack educational or work-related content
- poses a threat.
- If such a site is discovered, the teacher should inform their principal to address the issue.

Our Digital Citizenship curriculum for grades K-5 covers appropriate online behavior, responsible use of social networking sites, and cyberbullying. We use the NYCDOE approved curriculum- Common Sense Education (K -3) and Be Internet Awesome(4-5). Through engaging lessons, discussions and online activities, students are encouraged to think critically and participate responsibly while using technology and the Internet.

In grades K-2, lessons are taught by the classroom teacher. The focus in kindergarten is how we use technology to communicate and communicating kindly. In first grade, we teach children about screen time and consider ways to balance on and off line activities. In second grade, we explore the internet and consider what is private and what is safe to share.

In 3rd grade, students begin by discussing what it means to be a good digital citizen and create a pledge that establishes expectations for themselves and their classmates related to appropriate online behavior. Next, students discuss the power of words online and generate solutions for dealing with hurtful online behavior, including cyber bullying. Students then learn about privacy and digital footprints, and complete an activity that addresses what information is unsafe to share on the Internet. Finally, students learn about what makes a strong password and how they can use passwords to protect their private information online.

In grades 4-5, students begin by examining their online responsibilities and learn about good online habits and behaviors. Next, students work together to recognize some of the key differences between in-person bullying and cyber bullying, and identify strategies for dealing responsibly with cyber bullying. Then the class reflects on their current digital footprint and thinks about what they would like their digital footprint to be in the future. Finally, students learn about the importance of keeping personal information private and the potential dangers of online communication.