Miss-Delectable
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http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=45516&provider=gnews
Two-hundred students attend classes in grades K through 12 at the Tennessee School for the Deaf in South Knoxville.
Because 75 percent of them live on campus during the week, security is a top priority.
But the sprawling fence that surrounds the grounds offers no protection from the latest safety concern: internet predators.
Director of Instruction Elaine Alexander says the internet is invaluable.
"They can write to other people whereas picking up the phone and calling someone is difficult for our students because they're deaf and they use sign language," Alexander says. "So it has really opened doors for them in that aspect, but we still have to counsel them to be cautious about who they contact and what they do with that freedom."
Student's can't access social networking websites -- like MySpace.com -- from campus computers, but staff members typically know which students use them. Recently, they intervened when one young woman had planned a meeting in-person with a new cyber friend.
"We talked to her quite extensively about, 'You don't know this person. You don't need to be meeting with them until you know more about the person,' This information was conveyed to her parents so they could take over at that point," Alexander says. "Teachers and principals cannot do everything; parents have to help at home. And many do, many are very responsible in monitoring what their children do on the internet, Alexander says.
Michele Wilson is one of those parents. Her sons Jeffrey and Drew attend TSD.
"There's just predators our there that are just lurking trying to find someone they can get a hold of and I'm not comfortable with that," Wilson says.
She worries the internet could make her children vulnerable, but says the school's policies put her at ease.
"They have a great staff that are very cautious about what the kids learn and they're just on task here," Wilson says.
The safety measures have been successful so far, but school leaders remain vigilant -- they believe predators will evolve with technology.
"We don't know what's going to be next, but we have to be ready to make sure our students have the knowledge and the skills and the thinking ability to use whatever technology that comes along," Alexander says.
Two-hundred students attend classes in grades K through 12 at the Tennessee School for the Deaf in South Knoxville.
Because 75 percent of them live on campus during the week, security is a top priority.
But the sprawling fence that surrounds the grounds offers no protection from the latest safety concern: internet predators.
Director of Instruction Elaine Alexander says the internet is invaluable.
"They can write to other people whereas picking up the phone and calling someone is difficult for our students because they're deaf and they use sign language," Alexander says. "So it has really opened doors for them in that aspect, but we still have to counsel them to be cautious about who they contact and what they do with that freedom."
Student's can't access social networking websites -- like MySpace.com -- from campus computers, but staff members typically know which students use them. Recently, they intervened when one young woman had planned a meeting in-person with a new cyber friend.
"We talked to her quite extensively about, 'You don't know this person. You don't need to be meeting with them until you know more about the person,' This information was conveyed to her parents so they could take over at that point," Alexander says. "Teachers and principals cannot do everything; parents have to help at home. And many do, many are very responsible in monitoring what their children do on the internet, Alexander says.
Michele Wilson is one of those parents. Her sons Jeffrey and Drew attend TSD.
"There's just predators our there that are just lurking trying to find someone they can get a hold of and I'm not comfortable with that," Wilson says.
She worries the internet could make her children vulnerable, but says the school's policies put her at ease.
"They have a great staff that are very cautious about what the kids learn and they're just on task here," Wilson says.
The safety measures have been successful so far, but school leaders remain vigilant -- they believe predators will evolve with technology.
"We don't know what's going to be next, but we have to be ready to make sure our students have the knowledge and the skills and the thinking ability to use whatever technology that comes along," Alexander says.