Guest Post from the Texas Regional Office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: Back to School
The following is a guest post from the Texas Regional Office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:
The start of school provides the perfect opportunity to talk to kids about personal and online safety.
Since 2005, NCMEC has compiled and analyzed data about attempted abductions and related incidents. Slightly more than one-third of these occurred between 2:00-7:00 p.m., the time frame when children are out of school and are least likely to be supervised. You can help keep your children safer by encouraging them to always take a friend or travel in groups. For more tips about personal safety, check out KidSmartz.
Children may also face risks online during the school year. You are your child's best resource to help prevent incidences of cyberbullying, sexting and other types of risky online behavior. Knowing what to say to help keep your children safer may seem like a daunting task but we have made it easier for you through our NetSmartz Workshop.
We encourage you to use the KidSmartz and NetSmartz resources to start the conversation with your children about personal safety and digital citizenship. And remember, we are able to provide these presentations to parents and schools, free of charge, thanks to your generous donations. If you think your school district would benefit from learning more about ways to stay safer, please contact us at NCMEC_Texas@ncmec.org.
Here's to a productive and safe school year!
Nancy Rodill
Executive Director
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Texas Regional Office